Trek Wars: MACO Commando
by admiraljoshhar
Summary: A crossover between Star Trek and Star Wars, taking place in an alternate SW Universe where a wormhile connecting galaxies  and time periods  was discovered years before. The Rebels are allied w/ Fed/Rom/Klingons and Empire w/Borg Imperium. Please R&R.
1. Characters and opening crawl

TREK WARS: ALLIANCE COMMANDO

Book One: Alpha/Beta Squad- Operation: "Eat My Dust"

Disclaimer: I Don't own Star Wars or Star Trek; this is just for fun.

_Dramatis Personae:_

Colonel Jack O'Riley: C.O. of all MACO SpecOps units, veteran of the Dominion War

Admiral Han Solo: Joint Commander of Operation "Dust" (AKA "Eat my space dust"), Commander of Alliance Third Fleet, C.O. of phases 1, 5, and contingency B

Commander-General Nahrahl t'Rllaillieu: Joint Commander of operation "Dust", Commander of Romulan Fleet, C.O. of Phases 2-4.

Darth Caedus: Sith Apprentice of Darth Muertos, Second of the FiveSith.

"Fiver" Skirata: Mandalorian _alor_ {trainer} of Alpha Squad, one of the few surviving original clones of Jango Fett

Major George "Chief" Runningbear: Alpha Squad C.O./Mechanic

Tom "Gunny" Rogers-Skirata: Squad weapons expert, proficient in most forms of H2H combat. A Dominion War Orphan, he was adopted by Fi Skirata.

"Hawkeye" Kor, son of Kless: Squad sniper, orphaned when parents were killed a few months before joining the MACOs.

"Trapper" Sken: Squad medic and unofficial "clown"

Jaina "Saber" Solo: Jedi Knight who joined the MACOs so she could eliminate Darth Caedus as a threat to her family and the galaxy as a whole.

Commander Jagged Fell: Late of the Empire of the Hand, _alor_ of Beta Squad

Major Edward Carroll: Beta squad C.O.

Soran: Beta Squad

Tex Ridder: Beta Squad

Jon Ton: Beta Squad

Killer Roland: Beta Squad

Engineering Captain Montgomery "Scotty" Scott: Alliances foremost expert on USD drive systems, participant in operation "Dust"

Opening Crawl:

Intra-Galactic War!

Earth is occupied by Imperial Forces, and a new SITH LORD has taken control of the Empire.

His apprentice, DARTH CAEDUS, has caused the death of many of the Alliance's greatest heroes- The mighty Chewbacca among them. Worlds have fallen to the Borg- suffering a fate worse than death by far.

Amidst this dark background, hope arises, as the EMPIRE OF THE HAND and the MANDALORIANS choose to ally themselves with the GALACTIC ALLIANCE rather than to become again puppets of the sith- or worse, the Borg.

As a result of this new partnership, the Mandalorians send men to train the elite troops of the Alliance- the Military Assault and Commando Operations troops- or MACOs*, even as they trained the Clone troopers a few generations before. And among these elite arise three groups- the MACO Special Operations squads- or SpecOps. Three such groups exist- the ALPHAS, the BETAS, and the SHARKS. They are the elite among the elite, the best of the best. But even they will find the task ahead a challenging one…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Atten-_SHUN_!" shouted "Fiver" Skirata, Mandalorian _alor_, or _leader_ as roughly translated into basic. Four men and one woman, all wearing the black and grey camouflage armor of a MACO with the squad patch of a SpecOps unit on the right shoulder stood to attention at once.

"Ready for inspection sir!" snapped "Chief" Runningbear, the squad C.O.

And indeed they were ready. The five troopers stood tall, proudly wearing their dark armor. If Fi didn't know any better, he might've assumed they were _Mando'ade_ wearing _Beskar-gam_ armor*, they looked so good.

"We've been ordered to BR One by the colonel," the old clone of Jango Fett informed them. "We're being called out."

Skirata noticed a grin on "Hawkeye" Kor's face. He was anxious to go to battle and avenge the deaths of his parents. The others just stood there with a neutral, almost apprehensive look on their faces. These were no strangers to battle. And, aside from Hawkeye, they were not anxious to become reacquainted. Fi looked over each of them in turn.

Chief had been selected for the SpecOps unit straight out of the regular MACOs, where he had already proved himself a superb leader of men. He had been involved in the Battle at Earth (a losing battle, yet he had distinguished himself) the battles of Corellia, Mon Cal and Andoria, and most recently at the Battle of Kuat, where he and his men had held off a small battalion of Imperial Storm Troopers* with superior tactics. Upon being selected for SpecOps, Fi had chosen him as squadron leader for the Alphas.

Gunny was, to put it bluntly, a war orphan. His parents, both Starfleet Officers, had been captured and tortured to death in the Milky Way's Dominion War when he was five years old. He had been shipped off to live with his Grandfather on the harsh frontier world of Zenos 4. He had lived there for eleven years. Then, when he was sixteen, he had applied for and been accepted to the then-dormant MACOs. And he was perfect for the job. The death of his parents and growing up on a harsh frontier world had hardened him, and he had taught himself many forms of hand to hand combat in order to defend himself against the infamous gangs of Zenos 4. But when Fi had chosen him for Alpha squad, he recognized a softer spot to the man- one not unlike his adoptive father, Kal Skirata*, who had been his squad trainer until he adopted him and his squad, helped them desert, and even arranged for a cure to their advanced aging sickness. He was hard, but kind. And so, Fi had followed his father's example and adopted the young man.

Fi knew little about Trapper, save that which was in his file. Specifically, that he had asked the MACO ground forces during the battle of Correllia to take him with them. The MACOs had been reluctant to take the mysterious medic with them, until he had saved the life of an injured trooper and held off a Dark Trooper Drone- a dangerous Borg Drone with a limited ability to use the Dark Side of the Force as well as wielding a built in lightsaber. Then Chief, the MACO whom Trapper had saved, had chosen to bring him along and sponsored his training as a MACO and a field medic-a rarity in the militaristic organization. However, even without Chief's recommendation, Fi would have selected him for his most redeeming quality- his sense of humor, which surfaced even in the direst of circumstances and helped to keep up the morale of his fellow _ori'ramikade, _or super commandos, in the Mandalorian tongue.

Hawkeye was also a war orphan, but only recently so. His parents had been aboard a small Bird of Prey when a Romulan civilian outpost at Narendra Three (a formerly Klingon site once destroyed by militaristic Romulans) was attacked. Like the _Enterprise C_ had defended them when it was a Klingon base, they had rushed to defend it in the spirit of Alliance. But like the _E-C_, the small ship under Kless' command was no match for the superior forces (in this case an Imperial Super Star Destroyer*) that had attacked it. And when FNN broadcasted that the attacker was targeting a single defector aboard the station, and for that had destroyed it and the Bird of Prey, Hawkeye had been enraged, and swore an oath of vengeance against the Sith Apprentice who had carried out the execution of countless innocent lives and their defenders. However, little did he know that he was not the only one whose purpose in the SpecOps was to learn to fight Dark Jedi.

Despite all of the other's various circumstances, the situation of Jaina Solo*, known as "Saber Solo" to the squad, was perhaps the most complicated. As a Jedi Knight and fighter squadron leader, much had been expected from her, and she had been happy to give it. She was, after all, daughter of Admiral Han Solo and Republic Chief of state Leia Organa Solo*, as well as niece of Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker*. But so was she, as only known to her superiors, brother of the man once known as Jacen Solo- Darth Caedus*. Corrupted by the Sith Lord who was now Emperor of the Palpatinian Empire, Darth Muertos*, he had rapidly become powerful, and dangerous. This fact had been proven when he destroyed Narendra Three- knowing that the Solo's oldest and most trusted friend, Chewbacca, had been aboard. It was said that Han Solo had publicly disowned his "son," though the fact that such a formerly high placed Alliance Officer had been turned had been deemed classified. Fi was only aware of this because Jaina had felt it advisable to inform him about the possibility of conflict between herself and Hawkeye. He had advised her not to reveal to Hawkeye the connection she had to his parent's killer until he was dead. He then had asked why she joined the MACOs. Her reply had surprised him. "Because the only place where I can learn how to fight a Jedi is from a Mandalorian who fought in the Clone Wars," she had said. And she had proven her worth to him. He had trained her how to fight without the force by bringing to bear an Ysalimiri*- a lizard-like creature who somehow created a bubble in which the force didn't exist- a weapon which they planned to use if they ever encountered a _dar'jetii_ (Sith lord) or, more likely, a DTD. She had also learned to use her Jedi abilities to enhance her new Mandalorian skills, making her a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Indeed, Fiver thought, they all were a force to be reckoned with. But they had trained and lived together for over a year, and they were ready. In fact, they were as good as, probably better than, the ARC Troopers of the Clone Wars!

"Report to Briefing Room-One in five minutes," he ordered after he looked them over. "Dismissed!"

Jaina entered the briefing room behind Hawkeye, but sat across from him, next to Commander Jagged Fell*, _alor_ of Beta Squad. Jag Fell, pilot, son of legendary Imperial pilot Baron Soontiir Fel, nephew of famous Rebel pilot Wedge Antilles, was very… close to Jaina. Early in the war, before the Hand had officially joined the Galactic Alliance, he had led the Hand 181st Clawcraft* squadron into battle alongside Jaina and her Silver Bullet squadron. The two had been the first sample of the benefits of working with the Alliance as opposed to the Empire, and it had greatly contributed to the current alliance. Now, though, he was an _alor_ like Fi, trainer of Beta squad.

The room darkened as Colonel Jack O'Riley stepped forward to the now active holographic projector, which cast a glow about the room.

"Welcome MACOs and _Alors_," he began. "Alpha and Beta squads have been selected to carry out a highly dangerous, yet vitally important mission for the alliance. The eventual outcome of this war may depend on the success- or failure- of this mission. Your task is to capture, neutralize, or destroy an Imperial _Thrawn_-class Ultra Star Destroyer from the inside out."

This statement was met with stares of astonishment from the squads and their _Alors_. And with good reason! At three times the size of a Super Star Destroyer, the USD was the most powerful warship in the known galaxies- more powerful than a Borg Cube by a marginal amount. In fact, they were so large and expensive to produce; only three were known to exist. The _Chimaera_, Empire of the Hand's Emperor Thrawn's flagship, was one that was an Alliance vessel. The _Sith Revenge_, Sith Emperor Muertos' flagship was another USD, and the _Emperor's Fist_, currently blockading occupied Earth under Imperial Admiral Natasi Daala was the third. Of the three, none were available to be captured or neutralized under any circumstance, and they could only be destroyed at great loss to the attacking force. In fact, an entire fleet had been wiped out to destroy the USD _Infiltrator 2_, under command of sith clone apprentice Darth Mauul. _So what does Colonel O'Riley have in mind_, Jaina wondered.

"Intelligence has discovered a new USD under construction at a secret shipyard in the Hoth asteroid belt," O'Riley enlightened them. "I'll turn the stand over to Admiral Solo to brief you completely."

As O'Riley stepped back, Admiral Han Solo, Jaina's father and Commander of the New Republic Fleet, stepped into the holoprojector's glow. As, usual, Han had forgone an Alliance Admiral's uniform in favor of his familiar spacer's wear- a simple white shirt, pilot's vest, and blue pants with a red Corellian Bloodstripe running down the sides. The only concession he made to formality was an insignia pinned to the left breast pocket of his vest and an Admiral's rank bar on his shirt collar. Han was aged, his once brown hair now grey, and wrinkles were clearly visible on his face. However, though he looked old, he was no cripple. Years of living as a smuggler, always on the run, had taught him to keep in shape. And, until recently, his friend Chewbacca had always been there to make sure he kept that way. But no more was Chewie there to encourage him. With his son's betrayal and Chewie's death, Han had become a hardened man. Only with his wife and surviving family did he mellow, and even then only a little. He had developed a reputation among the MACOs and others as one of the best Admiral's in the fleet, never asking his men to do something he himself was unwilling to do, if given the chance. He had come to be known among Mandalorians as _kandosii al'verde_, or indomitable Commander, affectionately as "Kan" for short.

"The ship you see here is nearing completion, so the small fleet previously guarding the Hoth system has been reduced to a task force led by two _Imperial 2_ class Star Destroyers," Han said, pointing towards a scaled down hologram of a USD floating above the projector's base. "As far as we've been able to determine, the weapons systems of the Destroyer are not yet active, nor are her sublight drive systems. However, the shields are fully functional, as is her hyperdrive so an all out assault at this point would most likely be futile. Even if we could take down the shields under heavy fire before an Imperial fleet arrived, they could jump to hyperspace from where they were, destroying the shipyard and our fleet in its wake, while only taking a moderate amount of hull damage itself. And so subtlety is required.

"Remember-this information is extremely sensitive- the Empire does not know that we know about it, and only a handful of people at Alliance Command are aware of it. And for our plan to succeed, it _must_ remain that way!

"Therefore, the Alliance War Council has put together a four-phase plan to take this ship, and Admiral Nahrahl and I have been put in command."

At the mention of her name, a tall woman with jet-black hair and barely visible pointed ears stood up. She wore the insignia of a Romulan _Khre'Riov_, or Commander-General, an old Romulan rank that had until recently been in use since the 23rd Century roughly analogous to a Starfleet Commodore or Rear Admiral. The ancient rank had recently been re-established, along with many other archaic traditions, on New Romulus, the home world of the Romulan Star Republic since Romulus was destroyed in the Hobus Supernova years before. Nahrahl nodded in acknowledgement, but allowed Solo to continue the briefing for a time.

"The first phase of our plan will be a diversion," Han continued. "I will take the _Falcon's Nest_ and a small strike force to the Bespin system, where we will raid the Tibana gas mines. We will hopefully be able to obtain the gas, but it is secondary to our goal. When we have as much as we can get, we'll make a short jump to the Hoth system, allegedly to regroup. Once there, though, we will be "sabotaged" by Imperial agents, and be unable to jump out. At this time, our pursuers will arrive and attack us- followed by our own Alliance Second Fleet's arrival. This will prompt the task force guarding the shipyards to reinforce the imp pursuers, and that is when Admiral Nahrahl will launch phase two.

"General Hallard says you're the best, and since my daughter's on your team, I don't doubt it for a microsecond," Han said, giving his daughter a wink. Had she been a green recruit, she probably would've been beyond embarrassment. But she had long since gotten past embarrassment. Here she was a SpecOps, an elite trooper, and she didn't need to prove herself to anyone. Anybody in the group foolish enough to think she'd only gotten in the Specs because of "Daddy" deserved what they got. Trapper and Hawkeye might tease her about being singled out, but that was just good natured fun, and she would tolerate it from them. She knew her mates and they knew her, and there was no need to be embarrassed. So Jaina merely smiled at him in response and winked back as he continued.

"You'll need to be the best for what we have in mind," Han said on a solemn note. "I'll turn the floor over to Admiral Nahrahl, who will be your commander for this assignment."

"Thank you Admiral Solo," said the Romulan formally as she stepped into the still unused holoprojector's glow.

Suddenly, a magnified view of the Hoth system, asteroid field and all, appeared to be floating in mid-air. As Nahrahl began to speak, the asteroid belt became highlighted in red.

"For phase two, a single ship, my ship, will release random debris from its cargo hold as it cloaks, appearing to have been inadvertently destroyed by friendly fire," she began, as the holoproj displayed a simulation of what she was saying. "This ship will then follow the ion trails of the enemy fleet to the co-ordinates of the dry-dock where the USD is being built. Once there, two asteroid-shaped shuttles, each with one team aboard it, will be launched from our fighter bay."

The holoproj showed two small dots moving away from the holographic warbird towards a scaled down holographic USD.

"A third 'rock' will also be launched, with a precise trajectory adequate to propel both craft towards the outer perimeter of the dock," Nahrahl continued, her words again prompting a holographic simulation. "We have been informed that the dock's sensors are programmed to ignore asteroids and other seemingly inanimate objects unless they present a threat to the dock, which our "asteroids" will not. However, you will be close enough to beam aboard simultaneous to a regularly scheduled materials transfer to a cargo bay of the USD, thus masking your entrance. Once you are aboard, phase two will be complete and phase three will commence."

The holoprojector again shifted, this time showing a schematic of the elongated spear shaped USD from a bird's eye view.

"Alpha team will beam in here, close to the main engineering section," Nahrahl said, a blue dot appearing towards the massive sublight engines at the aft-end of the gargantuan ship. "They will be accompanied by Engineering Captain Scott, one of the Federation's most highly decorated officers and our foremost expert on USD drive systems."

An old, heavyset mustached human wearing a uniform Jaina couldn't identify but recognized as old-style acknowledged the reference. _Great_, Jaina thought,_ extra baggage_.

"Beta team will enter here, near the command deck," Nahrahl continued as a green dot appeared on the indicated area of the 3-D image. "Alpha's assignment is the more complex. You are to escort Captain Scott to Engineering and secure it, where he will, with the assistance of Alliance Crypt Chief Ghent's code-breaker hack into the computer core and secure it. Beta's goals are to secure the main bridge and gas the skeleton crew of Imperials aboard ship, then beam them aboard the station. If this is accomplished, they will clear Captain Scott to complete his mission and bring the drive on line, as well as sending a two-second transmission to me aboard the _Empress Ael_ informing us of mission accomplished, and we will escort the captured USD out of dry-dock, the asteroid field, and finally the system, assuming Captain Scott can get the sublight drive functioning correctly. You will be briefed on contingency plans en route, but we hope we won't need them. If you fail completely- and we all sincerely hope you don't- then Admiral Solo's fleet will send an emergency beacon to a fleet waiting nearby, led by the _Enterprise_, which will join Admiral Solo and attempt to take out the USD by more …conventional means. Admiral Solo has aptly named this mission "Operation 'Eat My Space Dust'," or "Dust" for short. Let us hope that is what the Imperials do as we take their prize right out from under their noses. Good luck MACOs, and May the Force be with you."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Gunner Skirata gazed up to the sky as a troop carrier descended towards the assembly area. It was quite a large ship, though it was practically ancient by modern standards. The ship, an _Acclamator_-class cruiser*, had been around since the Clone Wars of the Echo Galaxy. But then again, so had Gunner's adopted father, and he was still alive and kicking.

This particular cruiser served the MACO base as a relay-ship, taking troops from the ion storm infested planet surface to dispersal points at various locations throughout the quadrant. The large vessel produced a massive cloud of dust as it settled on the landing platform, causing a few rookies who hadn't been wearing their helmets to cough and gag, nearly suffocating the freshly graduated troops.

Gunner smiled, remembering a younger version of him departing on the very same platform for his first assignment, who had learned the same lesson the new troops were receiving the hard way. His throat had felt dry for days afterward. The smile faded as he recalled the other lessons he and other survivors of this war had forcibly learned since then. Harsh lessons. Sometimes fatal lessons. Lessons these young troops would sadly learn soon enough. _For now, though_, he thought to himself as the dust began to settle, _we still have our lives, at least_.

So intently was Gunner gazing at the gigantic loading ramps lowering, that, were it not for Trapper nudging his arm, he would've missed the ship descending towards the Alpha's and Beta's, who grabbed their gear as the shuttle came down from the cloud filled sky.

"We get the first class officers treatment, eh Gunny?" Trapper said, and Gunner could picture a wide Trapper smile beneath his dark, faceless helmet.

"Looks like it Trap," he replied, lifting his own gear to his shoulders. Each Troopers gear consisted of standard MACO packs, and one personal pack each. As for Gunner, his pack contained a custom hand-crafted blaster/phaser rifle, a few changes of clothing for off-duty time, two holopics of his family, taken just before they had been captured, a personal datapad, and a few other assorted items.

The shuttle slowed and rotated so that its largest hatch faced the SpecOps troopers. The craft was a _Delta Flyer_ class shuttle* modeled after the _Voyager_s famous aerodynamically sleek shuttle designed and built in the Delta Quadrant. The shuttle was equipped with "anti-Borg armor" and photonic missiles as well as other features improvised by Starfleet Command in union with Annika Hanson, formerly the Borg Drone known as Seven of Nine, as well as a brand new hyperdrive, Quantum and Proton torpedoes, and space enough on the inside for the two squads with a pilot and co-pilot.

The sleek craft landed next to the men, hovering on repulsor-lifts as the loading ramp lowered.

"Mount up troops," Fi ordered his men, even as Jag Fell issued a similar command to the Betas. Fi was too old to participate in phase two and three, unlike Jag, so he would remain aboard the _Empress Ael_ for the duration of the mission. However, his age did not prevent him from squeezing in a bit of training for the Alphas, and he had some new tricks to teach them during the hyperspace journey to Bespin. He only wished he could go along as well.

As soon as all twelve of them were aboard and strapped in, the hatch closed and the shuttle began to rise. Gunner watched out his seat viewport as the _Acclamator_ below, still not yet loaded, grew smaller and smaller, then finally disappeared altogether as the shuttle entered the lower atmosphere. Then Gunner turned his attention to the stars, slowly becoming visible as they passed through the ion storm laden atmosphere and into space. Like most humans born on a planet, Gunner was fascinated each time he viewed the stars after an extended period of being planet-bound. He experienced this feeling of wonder even now as the shuttle maneuvered further into space, bound for a rendezvous with the Romulan Warbird _Empress Ael t'Rllaillieu_, the flagship of the Romulan Star Republic's Defense Fleet.

The warbird was a stunning sight to one like Gunner who had never seen one before. She was a _Scimitar_ class warbird*, identical in every way to the ship once commanded by the clone of then-Captain Picard- the late and unlamented Praetor Shinzon, with the exception of the deadly-and illegal- thalaron radiation the original _Scimitar_ had been built to release. Also, unlike the original's dark color scheme, the _Empress Ael_ was painted Warbird Green in the Romulan tradition.

As the shuttle approached, the Warbird's fighter bay doors opened, a barely visible green force field keeping atmosphere in the fighter bay, covering two decks of the massive warship housing hundreds of _Scorpion_-class attack fighters* as well as various other classes of fighter, including Jaina's X-Wing*, stored here in case of an emergency, and a few TIE Fighters* and B-Wings*. The shuttle flew through the field and set down in an empty berth. A maintenance crew was standing by to service the craft, getting it ready to leap into action at a moment's notice. Admiral Nahrahl and two officers also stood waiting for the hatch to open, though for a quite different reason.

Gunner stood up as the engine shut down and the hatch began to open. Admiral Nahrahl and her men came towards the shuttle. Colonel Fel and Fi stepped forward to meet her.

"I felt it would be advisable to introduce myself to you and your men, as we will be working closely for the next few days," Nahrahl said to the two _alor_s.

"A wise maneuver (?) Admiral," Fi replied, automatically taking the lead as the more experienced officer. "I'm Fiver Skirata, _alor_ of Alpha squad."

"Alor?" Nahrahl inquired.

"Roughly translated leader, or trainer," Fi explained, and then gestured towards his troopers. "This is Alpha Squad- Major Runningbear, Trapper Sken, Hawkeye Kor, Gunny Skirata, and Saber Solo."

"Pleasure," Nahrahl acknowledged.

"I'm Colonel Jagged Fel, _alor_ of Beta Squad, on loan from the Empire of the Hand," Jag continued, taking over from Fi. "These men are Beta Squad- Major Edward Carroll, Soran, Tex Ridder, Jon Ton, and Killer Roland."

"Again, a pleasure," Nahrahl said. "This is my executive officer, Commander Donatra, and my Tactical Officer Sub-Commander Pella. You'll be receiving your tactical briefing from Pella in the holodeck tomorrow at 0900 hours. But for now, you are our guests, and you have some time to relax and stow your gear. Telos!"

A Romulan Centurion stepped forward from the next berth.

"Yes, _Khre'Riov_?" The Centurion replied.

"Show our Commandoes to their bunks," She ordered.

"It feels strange," Hawkeye said to Trapper as he dropped his pack on the stiff mattress that served as a bunk in their shared quarters.

"What does?" Trapper replied as he plopped down on his bunk- and instantly regretted it, as the mattress didn't cushion his fall at all. "_Osik_! That'll leave a mark!"

"As if any respectable woman would want to see it," Hawkeye replied with a grin. "Anyway, I was referring to me, a Klingon, being aboard this, a Romulan ship."

Trapper scratched his head. "I thought y'all were allies," he said.

"Only recently, and that was mostly through necessity," Hawkeye enlightened him. We were mortal enemies only a decade or so ago, even as we were with the Feds a century ago."

"Ah!" Trapper exclaimed. "Kinda like we were with Thrawn about a year ago."

"I suppose so," Hawkeye allowed. "It's just- strange to be aboard the flagship of a species my parents were brought up to hate- and I was brought up to dislike."

"And yet, your parents were killed defending a predominantly Romulan base that, as I understand it, was once a Klingon planet," Trapper observed.

"That was different'" Hawkeye replied. "My parents were honorably defending a load of civilians, knowing my father in order to prove we were more honorable than the _P'tahk_ Romulans were when they attacked us."

"Eh, maybe yer right," he said as he kicked off his boots and unzipped his pack, pulling out an inflatable mattress and a pillow- two of his personal items allowed. He rolled out the mattress on the deck and activated its inflation device.

Hawkeye chuckled at Trapper's enjoyment of creature comforts. Some Klingons would find his soft mattress as a sign of weakness, but Hawkeye knew better. Trapper was just as tough as any Klingon when he needed to be, more even then some of the fiercest of warriors. Still, Hawkeye preferred the Klingon form, and pulled his mattress off of its hard shelf and discarded it. He preferred his bed as hard as possible, like most warriors.

"Showoff," Trapper said as Hawkeye lay down on his shelf. Hawkeye smiled and closed his eyes, knowing that he would need his sleep for the activity they would have the next day.

A dark shape moved through space. The sight of it would have induced terror in even the hardest of soldiers- if they could have seen it. Its massive engine were all that illuminated it, casting a red glow about the dark arrowhead shape, and even it could be eliminated for a time if need be. This was fear. This was the Ultra Star Destroyer _Sith Revenge_. Most importantly, this was the flagship of the most deadly and, arguably, most powerful man in two Galaxies- Darth Muertos.

His very name meant death in multiple languages throughout the galaxies in a strange coincidence, and his master had exploited that fact when anointing him as his primary apprentice and successor. He was a Sith Master, First of the Five, a new Sith arrangement created by Darth Vader as he neared his death of age. In fact, Muertos was himself the exact equal of Vader- for the simple reason that he was a perfect clone of the late Sith Lord and Emperor.

Of the other Four, all save one were also clones of past Sith Lords- Darths Tyrannus and Maul and the man known as Starkiller. The only non-clone, Muertos' primary Apprentice and successor, was Darth Caedus- once known as the Jedi Knight Jacen Solo. And at this moment, Muertos was quite pleased with his apprentice.

"You have done well, my apprentice," Muertos praised. The black armor clad man was rarely pleased, so this was praise indeed.

"Thank you, my Master," Caedus replied, raising his head to face his Master, as he had been kneeling to show respect to his Lord.

"And you are now ready to receive your reward: a new flagship that will properly represent your power as the Second of the Five Sith Lords!"

"I thought my ship was the most powerful available," Caedus replied, perplexed.

"It was," Muertos enlightened him, "Until now. A new _Thrawn_-class Ultra Star Destroyer has been constructed in secret to be your ship to use at my bidding. You are to immediately set course for the Hoth System to personally oversee the completion of your ship."

"As you wish, my Master," Caedus acknowledged calmly, but Muertos could feel his excitement through the Force, as he should be.

"Also, now that you have revealed yourself to the Jedi, I want you to take on a Dark Drone Honor Guard, and begin searching for a worthy apprentice."

"As you wish, my Lord."


	4. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Sorry its taken me so long to write chapter three- i've had a lot of writer's block. My thanks to my friend Ed, who created his own character and wrote most of the sparring between him and Tex. Also thanks to Master of the Boot for his reveiws- they are greatly appreciated. Also, again, Star Wars and Star Trek characters and situations aren't mine, but I do have fun writing them. In this chapter I introduce some new characters- and one very old and bloved one- RIP James Doohan...**

Chapter Three

"_Ach! Ye wee beastie! Get in there!_" came a voice from the quarters adjoining the corridor Jaina strode through. Jaina stopped as she noted that the door to the room the voice came from was open, and darkened, save one work lamp over a desk, at which a dark figure sat with his back to her.

"Can I help you, sir?" Jaina asked the occupant, who didn't turn to acknowledge her presence.

"Only if ye can turn back time lassie, or know the inner workings of a _blasted _Imperial Drive System!" he replied as he lifted a blueprint up to the light.

Jaina chuckled. So _this_ was the famous Captain Scott, with whom she and her team would be working.

"Well, I don't think even the force can reverse time, but I _do_ happen to know a thing or two about Imp systems- after all, I helped design the Alliance Battleship engines based on their designs," Jaina informed him.

The old man turned towards her.

"Lights," he barked, and Jaina winced as the lighting in the room went from nil to regular Earth Solar levels. "Ah, so _you're_ the one who changed my original designs."

"_Your_ designs?" Jaina exclaimed.

"Well, part of them, anyhow," Scott clarified. "And it wasn't an insult, mind ye, most of the modifications were quite brilliant, even by me own standards."

"Montgomery Scott," he said, extending his hand to her.

"Jaina Solo," she replied, griping his hand.

"Ah!" Scott exclaimed. "Han's- I mean _Admiral Solo's_ daughter, I take it."

"In the flesh, and the mechanics," she replied, referring to her inherited familiarity with machines. "I didn't know you knew Dad."

"Ach, we've only just gotten ta know each other. I served as engineer aboard his ship for a while, and got a look at his _real_ ship, and I was very impressed," he explained.

"He actually let you see the _Falcon_?" Jaina exclaimed, astonished. "It took me fifteen years before he even let me near her engines, and I'm a great mechanic!"

"Well, technically he didn't show me," Scott said. "I sorta hacked me way in and got a peek at her subs. Han was really miffed at me for a while after that."

"What changed?" Jaina asked.

"Well, I just suggested one wee adjustment, and when he actually tried it, we became fast friends."

"If it worked, I can believe it."

"So ye say you're familiar with th' blasted imp designs?" Scott inquired.

"Yes sir, I am," she answered.

"Ach, call me Scotty lass," he replied.

"Alright, yes _Scotty_, I do know Imperial tech."

"Good!" Scotty exclaimed. "So get in here and show me how to fit a drop of antimatter into their induction valve without blowin' the ship ta kingdom come!"

"Alright, let's take a look at where you're running into problems," Jaina replied.

"Hah!" the commando yelled as he dodged a blow from his companion. "You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn Tex!"

"Maybe not Ed, but yer bigger 'en a barn, so it'll be a cinch!" the other Commando replied as he dodged another blow from his commanding officer, Beta squad leader Major Edward Carroll. The Major and he had known each other since joining the MACOs and graduating in the same class. They had been inseparable ever since, and when Ed was chosen to lead Beta squad by Commander Fell, he had brought the Texan with him. "'Sides," Tex continued, attempting another blow at his best friend, "Whddayou Tat's know about barns? All you got are moisture farms, and they aint got nothin' but a hovel an' a garage, at best!"

"Less talk and more fight Earther," Ed replied, simultaneously dodging and striking back, this time landing a blow on Tex's chest plate. The holodeck computer made a ringing noise, indicating the first score of the sparring match in Ed's favor. Tex recovered quickly and made a fake jab. Ed dodged, falling for the trick, and Tex took advantage of the moment to land a blow on Ed's armor over the stomach area. The computer rang, making a point known for Tex.

"You always did try to fool me into submission." Ed replied to Tex's smirk of satisfaction. Ed tried a right punch only to have Tex move to the side. Ed then tried a left hook into Tex's side. The computer rang, indicating another point in Ed's favor. Tex paused, thinking of a way to win the match.

"You're not the only one with tricks." Ed said as he grinned. Tex replied with a right hook to the head then another left hook as Ed ducked. Dodging both blows, Ed sent an upper cut into Tex's bottom jaw, sending Tex to the floor. The computer buzzed, signaling a victory for Ed.

Helping Tex up, Ed panted, "Good fight, as always."

"Sure was… might want to give me pointers on how you cheat."

Ed gave him a curious look. "Cheating? I would never cheat on an old, rational thinking, friend."

"Sure." Tex replied with a sarcastic tone.

"Well done Major Carroll," came a voice from the entrance of the holodeck. Ed turned and saw a tall, young man wearing a jet-black Alliance Uniform standing there with his hands clasped behind his back. His face was unmistakable, with a jagged scar going down the left side of his forehead until it reached his eyebrow. This was, of course, Commander Jagged Fell.

Ed and Tex snapped to attention as soon as they realized their Commanding Officer was in the room.

"Sir!" he exclaimed as he saluted. "I didn't know you were watching!"

"At ease before you strain something Mr. Carroll!" Jag replied, pleased at how well trained his men were. "We're all off-duty, and you've already finished training under me, so let's cut the formalities while we're off and call me Jag."

Ed grinned, realizing the man was right. "Sorry sir- I mean _Jag_, old habits die hard."

"That's all right Ed, that's a good thing for a soldier in most cases, just so it doesn't get you killed."

"Right", Ed replied, becoming uncomfortable with his former C.O. Technically, though they were still off-duty, Jag still outranked him, and was a superior officer, so it was hard to treat him as an equal.

"The reason I came down here was to let you know we have a mission briefing tomorrow at 0800 Hours," Jag said, breaking some of the ice.

"We'll be there sir," Tex acknowledged for both of them.

"I also came down here to challenge you," Jag said suddenly.

"Huh?" came Ed's baffled reply.

"It's been some time since I flew, and I'm getting a little rusty. I was wondering if you might oppose me in a simulated dogfight," Jag clarified.

"What's the catch?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"No catch, except that it won't be a walk in the park," Jag explained. "You boys may be the best at hand to hand combat, but in flight, only two pilots have ever been able to shoot me down, and one had the force on her side."

"What's it worth to us?" Ed asked, smelling a more interesting challenge.

Jag grinned, expecting the Major to make it into a bet. Ed quickly divulged the conditions of the bet.

"Alright," Jag agreed, "But if I win, there are a few conditions you have to meet as well."

Ed walked up the ramp of an YT-1300 Corellian freighter accompanied by Tex. Jag gaped at him from the entrance of the holographic hanger.

"I know I gave you the choice of ship, but the _Millennium Falcon!_"

"Why not?" Ed replied smugly. "Solo's always braggin' that she's the fastest hunk of junk in two galaxies, and I just happened to have a copy of her specs on hand, so _that_ is the ship I choose!"

"Alright, I'll admit the _Falcon_'s a good ship, I've seen her in action," he admitted. "But a lot of that is the pilot, and, forgive me for saying so, but you're no Solo."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that," Ed replied. "Which is why I'm not flying her."

"Oh? And who is? Mr. Ridder?"

"Nope, me," came a voice behind Jag. And the voice was feminine.

"Jaina!" Jag exclaimed.

"Thanks for flyin' with us Jaina," Ed said as Jaina piloted the freighter out of the hanger and into space.

"No problem," she replied, toggling a switch on the dashboard. "This doesn't quite handle like the real _Falcon_, and I'm better in a fighter, but this'll do."

"Glad you approve," Ed said with a grin.

"Just how did you get the specs on the _Falcon_?" Jaina asked.

"I've been wonderin' that myself boss," came Tex's voice from the navigators seat.

"Scotty owed me a favor from way back," Ed answered by way of explanation.

"Ah," Jaina replied, satisfied.

"Huh?" Tex exclaimed, perplexed.

"Scotty's probably the only person outside of the Solos or Chewie's family that Dad'd trust with a copy of the _Falcon's_ specs, although I'm surprised he'd give them to you."

"Actually, he didn't," Ed clarified. "I just had him program this _Falcon_ himself. Now that we've got that all figured out, can you tell me where Jag's set up this little dogfight Tex?"

Tex looked at his console, then, with a startled groan, back up at Ed.

"You don't wanna know buddy," he said.

"Maybe not, but I do _need_ to know to pilot this thing," Jaina added from the front seat.

"Okay, but yer not gonna like it."

"Come on Tex- don't be a wimp!" Ed exclaimed.

"We're at the Maw cluster," Tex said quietly.

"Okay, I take it back- you're not a wimp. But anything I've ever said about Jag being sane is now completely out the window," Ed replied, groaning.

"Thank you," Jag said, grinning. "And now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Clawcraft to fly."

"Eh, no big deal," Jaina said as they climbed the _Falcons _ramp.

"What!" Tex and Ed said simultaneously.

The reason the Maw cluster was so intimidating was that it was extremely dangerous. As Han Solo said, it was the only place that made Kessel look like a garden spot in Maw, or the Maw Cluster as it was sometimes called, was an unstable and mostly unnavigable cluster of black holes located near the planet Kessel. The only reason the Maw was visible was due to the ionizing gases being drawn into it. Anything that neared the edge of the Maw would notice pieces of their ships being pulled apart, and some smugglers and criminals used it as a shortcut past the Kessel Run.

"You forget boys- The _Falcon_ was the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!"

"Uh- isn't a parsec a measure of distance, not speed?" Tex asked.

"Typical Earther," Ed said, grinning. "I take it you've never heard of the Kessel run."

"Well, I've heard of it, but I don't really know what it is."

"The Kessel Run is one of the most heavily-used routes in the Empire," Jaina explained. "It takes travelers in real space around The Maw leading them to an uninhabitable—but far easier to navigate—area of space called The Pit, which is an asteroid cluster encased in a nebula arm making sensors as well as pilots go virtually blind. So at this point there's a high chance that pilots, weary from the long flight through real space, would crash into an asteroid. It usually takes 18 parsecs to travel it, but by cutting closer to the Maw- a dangerous maneuver- a pilot can cut the distance- and thus also the time it takes- to travel the Run. Dad cut it to about eleven and a half parsecs- the current record for the Run."

"While I find this all quite fascinating, I really think we should keep an eye out for Jag and his Clawcraft," Ed said, and was proven right when the _Falcon_ was struck by laser fire from behind. "See!"

"Right!" Jaina replied, quickly seizing the controls. "Man the turrets boys; it's time for a wild ride!"

Ed and Tex quickly complied, running out of the cockpit and towards the center of the ship. Ed took the top quad turret and Tex took the bottom. Meanwhile, Jaina executed a sharp dive as the Clawcraft in which Jag flew screamed past the freighter. But she didn't leave it at that. Jaina pulled the _Falcon_ into a full loop, bringing the ship directly behind Jag- the perfect kill shot position, which Ed took advantage of immediately, firing the quad turbolaser. Only one of the four laser beams hit the TIE hybrid though, as Jag dodged to port, anticipating the maneuver. But Jaina continued the pursuit and followed him as Ed continued to fire, joined by Tex in the ventral turret. But Jag anticipated this as well, and suddenly reversed sharply to starboard before the far less maneuverable freighter could compensate- and went straight towards one of the black holes that made up the Maw cluster.

"Is he crazy!" Tex exclaimed. "He'll get caught in the gravity well!"

"No, his Clawcraft is angled so that the gravity'll swing it around," Ed clarified.

"That clever little bugger- he's pulling a Solo Slingshot!" Jaina realized.

"A what?" Tex said.

"It's a maneuver my Dad invented when he was being chased by an Imp interdictor a few months ago- he uses the gravity to take hold of the ship. The maneuver causes the ship to effectively "slingshot" away from the gravity well and any pursuing craft not proficient with the maneuver or lucky enough to head the same way as the ship's new trajectory. I told him about it after the briefing the other day. I'll bet he's practiced it a dozen times since then!"

"Oh, at least!" Ed said sarcastically. "Thanks a lot Princess! Any more pieces of advice you gave yer boyfriend you wanna tell me about?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Jaina growled, then she grinned. "But you forget- I'm a Solo myself- and I was there when the maneuver was invented."

Jaina jerked on the controls and the _Falcon_ banked sharply- in the opposite direction as Jag had gone.

"What are you doing!" Tex exclaimed. "He went _completely_ the other way!"

"Don't worry!" Jaina replied. "This is a shortcut. I think."

Jag tilted his head to the left and right, looking for the _Falcon_'s distinctive hull signature. He became nervous when he realized that the ship was nowhere in sight- and the sensors were blinded by the proximity to the Maw.

"Be ready on those turrets boys, the sensors are blind, so our only warning will be when we see him coming down our necks."

Tex kept his palms tensed around the trigger, his eyes closely watching the viewports for the Clawcraft. He had to admit, the suspense was killing him, even if it was just a simulation.

He saw an asteroid cluster to the left. "Hey Jaina, couldn't we ambush him if we hid behind them there rocks?"

"I'll bet we just could," Jaina replied, using the _Falcon_s powerful sublight drives to change their course.

"Where are they?" Jag muttered as he waited. Little did the _Falcon _crew know that Jag had also seen the asteroid cluster, and set up the same ambush. In fact, the _Falcon_ and Jag's Clawcraft were rapidly approaching one another.

Ed looked out his viewport and saw something towards them. Something… larger than it should've been.

"There he is!" he shouted, just before the viewport blacked out.

"What the Sith just happened!" Jaina yelled as the holograms dissolved and the rooms true black and yellow grid revealed itself.

"Computer, why was the simulation terminated?" Jag asked.

_"Pilots A and B were both terminated when collision occurred between the two craft. Pilot A probability of survival calculated at zero point three two seven percent. Pilot B survival probability five point nine nine seven four percent."_

"So does that mean I win?" Ed asked.

"No, it means we both win, right sir?" Tex nervously asked Jag.

"Actually, it means you both lost, according to the rules of your little wager," Jaina interrupted. "And therefore you both have to face the consequences."

"H-how did you know about the bet!" Ed exclaimed.

"Tex told me," she explained. "What he didn't tell me was the conditions of it."

"I'd rather not say," Ed said.

"Why not?" Jaina asked.

"Because _you_ were the condition of it," Jag explained slowly. "Whoever won had to stop courting you."

"WHAT!" Jaina shouted. "You had the nerve to use _me_ as a bet!"

"Uhhhh….. Sorry?" Ed said slowly.

Jaina grinned.

"Oh boy- it's time to run away- fast!" Tex said, noticing her sudden change in attitude.

"If you both lost, then I suppose I win," she said sadistically. "And my consequences are much worse!"

"We're dead." Jag said emotionlessly.

**Thanks for sticking with me so far. I plan to eventually write a prequel and a sequel, but first i want to finish this story. I appreciate any reveiws, positive or constructively negative. Also, I'm open to suggestion as to Jaina's consequences- within reason.**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"No. No way. Not gonna happen!" Ed said as he looked at himself in the mirror.

Jag and Ed both stared into the mirror and looked at each other's dress. Jag, wearing a light blue dress with no added design, stared disbelieving at the horrible sight. Ed scowled as he glared at the pink dress with little flowers all over it that he wore. While she looked at both men, trying her best not to laugh at their predicament, she smiled and said, "Just think how pretty you two will look during your quick pass through the mess hall."

Tex came into the room and nearly started to snicker.

"You start laughing and I'll see to it that you have to wear a Bikini with little frills on it." Ed said, glaring darkly through the mirror.

"Yes sir, boss." Tex replies immediately snapped back to attention, though he couldn't resist a grin at the sight of his superior officers wearing dresses.

"It's not that bad," Jag said unconvincingly. "Just one pass in the mess hall at anytime."

"It is too that bad," Ed growled. "Knowing Jaina, its gonna happen at mess call!"

"Well my dress isn't that bad." Jag said, "Maybe that means she loves me more than you."

"No it doesn't," Ed snapped back. "It means she loves me more because she gave me the most hilarious and embarrassing dress."

"Actually," Jaina said, "this is punishment for making a bet on me… and for my amusement."

"So happy to oblige," Ed growled sarcastically.

Sparrow waited outside of the Emperor's chambers, as he had been doing for the past few hours, and as he would probably be doing for another hour or so. The waiting was difficult, but it was his duty. For Sparrow was a spy- and a good one. After General-Baron Soontiir Fel had been revealed as CARDINAL, a deep cover spy working to restore peace to the Galaxy, he had been forced to disappear, along with his family, into former Emperor Thrawn's new Empire of the Hand, ending his usefulness to the Galactic Alliance. However, he had left behind a protégé- and he had trained Sparrow well.

Suddenly, the door to the chambers opened, and the Emperor stepped out accompanied by four crimson cloaked Imperial royal guards. Not that Muertos needed them, as a Sith Lord he was fully capable of defending himself. The guards were mostly for ceremony, though each was a lethal warrior. The Emperor was quite a contrast to his guards. He wore jet black armor identical in most ways to his predecessor, Darth Vader, save for the absence of the helmet. Also, whereas for Vader the suit was necessary for his survival, Muertos wore the suit to inspire fear in the hearts of his enemies. And it usually worked. Added to the effect was a scar running across his right eyebrow, given to him by Darth Vader himself as an initiation into the FiveSith.

"My Lord," Sparrow said, acknowledging the Emperor. "I trust that you have accomplished what you set out to do."

"Yes Captain, I have," Muertos replied with a grin. Sparrow restrained a shudder. Whenever Muertos grinned, it usually indicated something bad for the galaxy at large. At one time, his grin was contagious, and even at this point it still made him sometimes seem almost human. But that illusion was shattered by the presence of a cybernetic implant on his right cheek- an implant through which Muertos remained in contact with both his Dark Trooper Drones and the Borg Queen. Sometimes, seen only from his left profile, he seemed like a normal human being. But his right profile, with the scar and implants, put the lie to that illusion.

"In fact, Captain, I have an assignment for you," Muertos said abruptly.

"Oh?" Sparrow replied, dreading the particulars. The last time he had been given an assignment by Muertos, he had been forced to oversee the assimilation of an entire Rebel planet by the Borg Collective.

"Yes, it has to do with your former Commanding Officer."

"Colonel Solo?" he said incredulously. Muertos frowned at this.

"No, Lord Caedus," Muertos corrected him. "Jacen Solo is, for all intents and purposes, dead."

"Of-of course my Lord," Sparrow quickly amended. He had served under the famous Colonel as a member of the Alliance's ill fated secret police before the Alliance decided to shut it down. In fact, he had been Solo's right hand man before his turn to the Dark Side, and had even begrudgingly defected to the Empire as a result of his closeness to the once good man. But then Solo's- _no_, he thought to himself, _Caedus_' actions at Narendra 3 had convinced Sparrow that the Empire was fully evil. And then he had requested reassignment and ended up as a member of the Emperor's personal staff under then Emperor Thrawn. There he had served under General Baron Fell, and come to realize that though most of the Empire's leaders were corrupt and or evil, not all were. During the coup to replace Thrawn with Muertos, Sparrow had discovered that Fell was a spy for the alliance- and had decided to join him, rather than to expose him.

For months, Fell trained Sparrow to replace him, knowing that it was a matter of time before he was revealed by the new regime. And when the Intelligence division of Muertos' new secret police drew closer to exposing Fell as CARDINAL, he had come up with a brilliant plan- Sparrow himself would expose Fell, and then "kill" him, in reality arranging for his disappearance into the Empire of the Hand, along with his family. As a result of this subterfuge, Sparrow now held a position even higher than Fell had, and was able to provide vital intelligence to the Alliance war council- his most recent delivery being the information on the USD at Hoth.

"What is it you wish me to do, my Lord?" Sparrow asked.

"I've sent Lord Caedus to the Hoth system to take command of his new flagship, and I want you to meet him there and oversee transfer of command."

Sparrow stopped cold in his tracks. _Caedus at Hoth? That'll ruin everything!_

"Is there something wrong with my orders, Captain?" Muertos asked, noticing that he had fallen behind.

"N-no sir!" Sparrow stuttered, resuming his pace. "You want _me_ to oversee it? Why me, my Lord?"

"Because you are my assistant, and I do not wish to do it myself. What more reason do I need?" Muertos asked indignantly.

"Of course, my Lord," Sparrow said. _I've got to warn the Alliance!_ He thought._ They're walking straight into a trap!_

Darth Caedus sat in his sith meditation chamber, contemplating the changes in his life. There was a time, not long ago, when he would have been appalled by what he had become. But not Caedus, Jacen Solo would have been the one to be appalled. And what was left of Jacen Solo had died out at Narendra 3, when he had destroyed the station- along with Chewbacca. No, he had no regrets, so that was not the reason he contemplated his rise into the FiveSith. He really didn't know why he thought of it now, but he did want to know what had changed him so. So he began at the beginning of his change- three years before, when he had been captured by the Borg- or rather an offshoot of the Borg who called themselves the "New Yuuzhan Vong," whatever that meant.

Evidently, they had once been a proud race who used only biotechnology and considered any other form of technology a blasphemy to their Gods. And then the Borg- the ultimate affront to their beliefs- had appeared- and wiped out or assimilated all of them. But what they did not know was that one of what the Vong had treated as a pet was in fact an old Jedi Knight- who had secretly been taught the ways of the Sith by Palpatine. Her name was Vergere- and she was the only one who had been able to resist assimilation. So, naturally, she was brought to the Borg Queen, where she first suggested an alliance with the Empire, whom she had regained contact with while the Vong were distracted.

The Queen agreed, and was put in contact with Emperor Vader, who sent his apprentice, Darth Muertos, to serve as their representative. And the rest was history. Except for the New Vong, created by Vergere to find Muertos a worthy apprentice. They had kidnapped and tortured several potentials before they discovered Jacen. Vergere had somehow discovered when Jacen had taken personal leave and sent a distress signal only he could detect. Then the Vong-Borg captured and attempted to assimilate him. When they were unsuccessful, they began to torture him. And just before he broke, Vergere "took pity on him" and saved him, returning him to Federation space along with her. Before long, Vergere sacrificed her own life that Jacen might live, and Jacen found a new teacher in the form of the Dark Lady Lumiya. Together, he and Lumiya arranged for a proposal to be made to the Alliance council for a "Galactic Alliance Guard," basically a politically correct term for "secret police." And since they arranged for an outside, well trusted individual to propose it, it was quickly accepted. And that was to be expected- since the proposer was none other than Jacen's aunt, Mara Jade Skywalker.

Eventually, Jacen was given the rank of Colonel in the Guard, and was given complete and total control over it. And at first, things seemed to get better- spy and criminal rings were exposed, crime rates fell, and the Alliance seemed to be a better place. But Caedus knew better. No "Galactic Alliance" could truly succeed in total peace, because they weren't willing to do what needed to be done. The Empire was. And so, only six months after the Guard was created, Jacen Solo turned it into his own private army- completely loyal to him. Even his cousin, Ben Skywalker, served under him as a Lieutenant under one of Jacen's best men, Captain Lon Shevu, until Jacen decided to defect to the Palpatinian Empire. Ben had almost come with him too, but that blasted Captain Shevu had betrayed him and convinced Ben that what he was doing, what he _had been_ doing to prisoners, was wrong. But Caedus knew better. _He_ wasn't wrong, all those not doing what needed to be done were wrong!

And in the end, even his beloved Tenel Ka had betrayed him, taking their daughter, Allana, with her. But he had had some revenge- he had captured Shevu and personally killed him in the presence of his new master, Darth Muertos. And it had felt- satisfying. He could now do what needed to be done and crush all those who would disturb the order offered by the FiveSith! And now that he was to be given a new Ultra Destroyer, he would be able to do it even better! No, Darth Caedus, Second of the FiveSith, Enforcer of the Emperor, and next in line to the throne, had no regrets whatsoever.

_ But what about Allana? What about your daughter?_ Came a voice from inside him.

"NOOO!" he shouted "I HAVE NO REGRETS!"

And outside his meditation chamber, the entire Super Star Destroyer shook with his rage and pain.

Jaina laughed along with the rest of the MACOs as Jag and Ed walked in, both wearing dresses. Every eye in the mess hall locked on them instantly. Half of them burst out laughing, a few smiled, three or four gaped at them, stunned, and a few just sat there, either unsure what to think of their superior officers in dresses or too alien to get it. Tex came in behind them, the only way he could hide that he was laughing as well. Not that Ed didn't notice. _I'll get him for this… and her too!_ He thought.

The two men walked to a table and sat down. A silver waiter droid walked up to them.

"Welcome to the mess hall ladies. I am Tee Cee Thirty Eight at your service. Would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah. Beer. Lots and lots of beer," Ed said. Jag glared daggers at the droid.

"We're not ladies," he said through his teeth.

"Oh! Excuse me _sirs_," the droid said. "Would you like anything Colonel Fell?"

"Corellian Ale. A lot of it."

Jaina grinned at their embarrassment.

_NOOO! I HAVE NO REGRETS!_

Jaina suddenly collapsed in the middle of the room. Jag and Ed noticed at once, and quickly rushed to her side.

"Jaina!" Jag shouted. "What's wrong?"

Ed tapped the communicator pinned to his chest. "Medical team to the mess hall now!"

"No!" Jaina said suddenly. "Jacen's dead! It can't be him!"

"What happened?" the ship's Romulan Doctor asked as he waved a medical instrument over Jaina.

"She just suddenly collapsed, and said something about Jacen."

"Are you all right Lieutenant Solo?" the Doctor asked as she stirred.

"Yes," she replied, shrugging the Doctor off as he stood up. "I'm fine."

The door opened as Fi Skirata and Admiral Nahrahl walked in.

"What's going on?" Fi asked.

"I-I think I felt something through the Force," she replied, still shaken.

"What…" Fi started, and then noticed what Ed and Jag were wearing. "What in the force are you wearing?"

Ed and Jag's faces turned beat red. Ed started to answer, but Nahrahl stopped him.

"Never mind that now," she said. "Let's get Lieutenant Solo to sickbay and sort this out later."

"Good idea," Fi said, and Jag and Ed breathed a sigh of relief.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What happened, Jaina?" Fi asked her as she lay on the biobed of the Romulan sickbay.

"I-I felt something."

"What Jaina? What did you feel?"

Jaina closed her eyes. "Jacen. I felt my brother Jacen."

"I thought you said you couldn't feel him anymore, not since he turned," Fi objected.

"I thought so too," Jaina replied. "Basically, Jacen Solo is dead, replaced by Darth Caedus. And when Caedus took over, our twin bond just- sort of died."

"Died, or just went dormant?" Fi asked thoughtfully. He didn't quite understand the Force, but he knew it more than most due to his knowing a few Jedi in his time, and being close friends with the former Jedi Knights Bardan Jusik and Etain Tur-Maken. He knew enough to know that even the Jedi didn't always quite understand it themselves, and so he knew that she could have been wrong.

"I- I suppose that's possible. But the only way that could be is if- if something of Jacen survives in that monster that killed Chewie- and I just can't believe that," Jaina replied.

888888888888888888888

"Is everybody here?" Nahrahl asked as the last of the officers trickled into the briefing room. There were nods from the senior officers around the room. Assembled were Nahrahl's officers, Alpha and Beta squads, and Scotty. "Very good. I've assembled you all to give you the particulars of the diversionary assault at Bespin. As you all know, we really do have a shortage of Tibana gas, so even though our primary goal is not to capture the gas, we want to make this a legitimate raid.

"So Admiral Solo has sent us a plan of attack. If you'll please draw your attention to the board."

Nahrahl indicated a screen at the front of the room, which showed the Bird of Prey insignia of the Romulan Star Republic. The insignia faded, replaced by sets of diagrams.

"Since we're the ship most important to phase two, the _Empress Ael_ will have only a minor role in this phase, and we'll be heavily defended. Admiral Solo has, though, requested our fighters to fly escort for the tankers on Bespin, so anyone with a fighter in your respective divisions is welcome to participate. Also, Admiral Solo has requested ground support to help capture the Tibana. It'll most likely be the only action my crew will see during this operation, and it will be a good warm up for the MACOs. But it will be dangerous. Are there any questions?"

Jag raised his hand.

"Yes Commander Fell?"

"Won't our defense of this one ship give away the whole operation?"

"Only if they had time to analyze our actions, which they won't until it's too late," Nahrahl explained.

Jaina raised her hand. She had just been released from sickbay, and was anxious to take her mind off of Jacen.

"Yes Lieutenant Solo?"

"Where do I sign up to fly?"

"You'll have to see my Flight Control Officer about that," Nahrahl answered. "If there are no more questions, you're all dismissed."

8888888888888

"Subcommander T'kar?" Jaina said to the tall Romulan man as they filed out of the briefing room.

"Yes?" he replied.

"I understand you're the FCO," she said. "I'd like to fly my fighter in the raid, and if you'll check, I'm highly qualified to lead a squadron."

"Yes, I'm aware that you were the leader for Twin Suns squadron for a short period-"

"And XO for the Rogues," Jaina pointed out.

"I'll see what I can do."

"No you won't." Major Carroll called out as he exited the briefing room. "Not if I object to it."

Jaina turned to him and replied "You can't."

"Do I have a leaf on my uniform?" Ed replied sarcastically. "I believe I do. And a Major's leaf beats a lieutenants bar anytime. And I say you won't get involved in this fight."

"Major Carroll-" T'kar began, but was cut off.

"Oh shut up with that Romulan thing will you?" Ed said to T'kar. He turned back to Jaina. "You are not going on that raid."

"You're too late," Jaina replied. "I already talked to the colonel and he accepted my request."

"I'll have a talk with him-," he began.

"No you won't," Jaina interrupted. "Why won't you let me go and fight?"

"That's need to know information," He replied. He then leaned closer to her. "And you don't need to know."

"As a volunteer I have the right to know!"

"I don't think you're qualified, even if your dad was Han Solo."

"You just want me to stay behind while you, Jag, and Tex go on some unpredictable mission?"

"Yes." Ed replied.

"No," Jaina said indignantly. "Besides, you guys are going in on the ground, a far more dangerous place than I'll be in the cockpit of my X-Wing."

"A laser is a laser. It'll kill either way- on the ground or in space! And Alpha squad will need you as a Jedi more than Beta needs me as a leader!"

"I'm going and that's final!" she said, turning and storming off.

T'kar just stood there stoically, having observed the whole argument.

"What are you looking at?" Ed said, and turned and stormed off in the opposite direction. "I need a drink!"

A few moments later he turned and started back the same way Jaina had gone, remembering that the mess hall was the other way.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: This Chapter is one I wrote to give a backstory on Nahrahl and Ed, to sort of explain why they act the way they do (for example, why Ed acted like a "darn sexist fool" towards Jaina- thanks for pointing that out to me Master of the Boot{and, as always, thanks for the reviews}). Also, in this chapter, I sort of explain, through the eyes of Nahrahl, how the two universes collided, and how the war began. Something I don't really explain, though, is that the Star Wars verse is (as any familiar with Star Wars have already discovered) an alternate reality, changing from the last half hour of Episode six onward. Enjoy, and please review!**

Chapter 6

"ETA to Bespin system ten minutes _Khre'Riov_," the helmsman informed Nahrahl.

"All hands to battle stations," she ordered, and the klaxon began to sound. All over the massive ship, the crew who weren't already prepared for battle quickly rushed to their designated stations. The turbolift door in the rear of the bridge opened, and Fi Skirata stepped in.

"Mind if I join you General?" he said as he approached her.

"You're welcome to, Sergeant," Nahrahl answered.

"Normally I wouldn't ask, but my boys are going down there to help secure the platforms, and I'd like to know how they're doing."

"Understood," Nahrahl said. "I'd do the same if it were my people."

"Thanks," Fi said, taking a vacant seat at the rear of the bridge.

Nahrahl knew Fi was a Mandalorian, and it had recently become well known that Mandalorians were fiercely loyal, and protective, to those they loved. They were much like Romulans, in the classic sense, she thought.

Unlike many Romulans, Nahrahl respected, and even admired many humans. For unlike many of her contemporaries, she knew how much of a role the humans had played throughout Romulan history- especially through the first reformation of the empire that had been carried out largely through the efforts of Ael t'Rllaillieu, Nahrahl's grandmother, with the assistance of Captain James Tiberius Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Her grandmother had told her when she was a girl how the Empire had become dishonorable, and how they had tried to control the very minds of not only their enemies, but also their own people by experimenting on their Vulcan cousins in order to gain mastery over telepathy. After an elaborate deception, in which the _Enterprise_ played an integral part, the Vulcan's had been freed, and Ael and her crew had been exiled. However, after many adventures, Ael had led a rebellion of the colony worlds of the Empire, again with the _Enterprise_'s unofficial support, and had eventually been named Empress, the first there had been in generations, and the last true Empress that had existed in Nahrahl's lifetime.

After Ael and her contemporaries had died, though, the Empire had once again become corrupted, under control of various Praetors and the Senate, some of which were corrupt, and some weren't. Meanwhile, Nahrahl's family, though still considered noble, had fallen out of favor, the reforms of Empress Ael forgotten. So Nahrahl had followed her grandmother's example, and joined the Imperial fleet. However, instead of becoming an officer immediately, as was her right, she had enlisted under an assumed name. She soon discovered the truth of the modern Imperial fleet- that they were as disgusted with the leaders as she was, except for a few corrupt admirals. And so she had worked her way up to the rank of Commander, and had sided with Shinzon and Tal'Aura's coup. However, like Commander Donatra, she had eventually rebelled against Shinzon's genocidal tactics. After Shinzon was killed and Tal'Aura was set up as the new Praetor, Nahrahl had decided to go rogue, and disappeared into the outer planets of the Empire. After Romulus was destroyed, Nahrahl resurfaced and helped to reform the Empire into a Republic based on New Romulus, a planet near what had once been the neutral zone. This new Republic supported the Reunification movement started by the martyred Ambassador Spock, of whom Nahrahl had been an ardent supporter.

Many of the people had begged her to take up the position of Praetor, or even Empress, but she had refused, and instead retained her position as Commander-General of the Romulan fleet. The new government instead centered around a fifty member council and one elected leader, who still bore the title, though not the authority of, Praetor. The Republic had decided to ally themselves formally with the Federation, especially in the wake of the second Klingon civil war and the threat that still existed from the Imperialistic Klingons who had lost the war. After the Klingons formalized a new Republic-style government, much like the Romulans had done, the three powers had met at Khitomer for a new peace conference, a conference that established a mutual non-aggression pact between the three superpowers of the Alpha and Beta quadrants.

To cement this new Khitomer Pact, all three powers sent a representative ship on a joint extragalactic exploratory mission. To assist in this, the Federation had shared their new quantum slipstream drive, in addition to sending the USS _Andolusian_ to represent them. The Klingons had sent General Worf, himself once a member of Starfleet, aboard the KRS _D'Ktag_. As for the Romulans, Nahrahl had been selected to represent her people aboard her flagship, the RRS _Honor Blade_. It was during this mission that the three encountered a wormhole, now called the Echo wormhole, which sent them across both time, into the distant past, and space, into a distant galaxy.

Once in this new galaxy, they encountered an Imperial 2 class Star Destroyer belonging to the Palpatinian Empire, then still under control of the aged Darth Vader. The Destroyer attacked them without provocation, evidently mistaking them for rebels. The _D'Ktag_ took the first turbolaser volley without shields. The Battlecruiser broke up slowly, allowing some to survive, including General Worf, who were trapped in air pockets throughout the ship. Meanwhile, the _Blade_ and the _Ando_ fought back, causing some damage to the massive Destroyer. It was not, though, without cost. The next Turbolaser volley hit the _Blade _hard, cutting through her shields in only two shots. The _Ando_, though, had more advanced ablative hull plating and transphasic shields, installed in case of a Borg attack, and it shielded the _Blade_ from being destroyed.

Even the _Ando_ could only hold out for so long, though. So the three sent a distress signal in all directions, knowing that their backup force would not be able to arrive for some time, at least three hours. But it was not from home that their eventual rescue came. Instead, it came in the form of a New Republic fleet, led by Admiral Han Solo aboard the captured _Super_ Star Destroyer _Falcon's Nest_. At first, the survivors lost hope, assuming the new arrivals were there to finish them off. Instead, though, the _Nest_ turned its own turbolasers on the Imperials. The enemy, faced with enormous odds, had decided to cut their losses and run.

Following this, Nahrahl had been forced to abandon the _Honor Blade_, and since the _Ando_ was already overwhelmed with survivors of the _D'Ktag_ and with her own injured, the _Nest_ had offered it's hanger, which was more than large enough to take on the shuttles and escape pods of the _Blade_.

From that point on, events had pushed the three powers of the Milky Way into an Alliance with the New Republic against the Empire, who had already made their own alliance- with none other than the Borg.

There had been many battles in the years since their first contact, victories and defeats on both side. And when Earth, the cradle of humanity and the center of the Federation, had fallen to the Imperial occupation forces, the war had taken a turn against the Alliance. And when the relatively decent Emperor Thrawn was forced out by the ruthless Sith Lord Darth Muertos, the Empire had become even more fierce.

Indeed, the universe was looking quite dark at this point. But the humans had a saying: The night is darkest before the dawn. And this mission could be the beginning of dawn for the Alliance. If they successfully captured the USD, they would not only have a powerful new ship to add to their forces, they would have a symbol around which to bolster their forces. It would be a symbol around which the powers of the galaxy that had remained cautiously neutral could rally. Yes, the capture of the Destroyer would be crucial indeed.

"Prepare for battle," Nahrahl said to her crew. "We must not fail-our survival may depend on it!"

In the hanger of the _Empress Ael_, there was a great deal of activity. Pilots climbed ladders into the cockpits of their fighters. Armored troopers entered troop carriers, some checking their weapons, some saying goodbyes to those who would remain behind. Mechanics and technicians made last minute adjustments to their ships. And Ed Carol sat on an equipment crate, feeling ashamed. He had a headache the size of a planet, the last remnants of the drinks he had consumed the night before.

He hadn't meant to be so… rude. He just didn't want her to be hurt. She was right, of course. The action they were about to be in was nothing compared to what was to come, and much less than what she had experienced in her life as a whole. He just… didn't want a repeat of his history. He had once had a happy life. A home, family, friends… and a beautiful fiancé.

He could still remember it as if it were yesterday, although it was considerably longer ago than that. It was back on Tatooine, where his family owned a relatively large amount of property, rivaling even the holdings of the Darklighter family. He was restless, he would admit even to himself. He had recently sent off an application to the Imperial Academy at Carida, and anticipated becoming a stormtrooper, one of the elite of the Empire. His fiancé, Starra, was reluctant, but agreed to support his decision, provided they were married before he left.

And so his family had arranged a marriage ceremony to be held that would be attended by all of his friends and family. But it was not to be. Just days before the wedding, an Imperial battalion was sent to the planet to "root out subversives." Only as it turned out, his father had once been friends with the famous rebel Luke Skywalker- and someone had told the Garrison Commander. While Ed was out with one of his friends, the Imperials had stormed his homestead, and burned it to the ground, along with his parents. Starra, he found out later, had also been there, awaiting his return. She had grabbed a blaster and tried to hold off the Imperials, but they had killed her, after she had wounded only one trooper.

Ed had been enraged, and had gotten his friends together and formed a guerilla resistance against the occupying forces, his former admiration for and desire to be a stormtrooper forgotten. They had fought for months, disrupting the Imperials, who could not find them in their hiding place in Tatooine's Dune Sea. He had first sought revenge on the Imperials. However, the appearance of and advice from Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker had made him begin to doubt the value of revenge. So when he faced down the commander of the garrison, the man responsible for ordering his family's deaths, he decided not to kill him in cold blood. The commander had ended up dead anyway, though, as he had pulled a holdout blaster on Ed and shot at him. Luke Skywalker's blade deflected the bolt- right back at the Commander, killing him.

Following this, the Alliance fleet had arrived and liberated the planet from the Empire, who had taken it only for the purpose of training troops. When Skywalker had explained the guerrilla's actions to the Officer in command of the fleet, he had awarded them the Alliance Medal of Honor and his recommendation to the MACO Academy. Ed was accepted, and graduated with honors. Ed had soon been given command of his own squad, where he met Tex and began his career.

And now it had come to this. He was pretty sure he loved Jaina, and hoped she loved him as well. He just didn't want her to end up like Starra.

"Prepare to board!" shouted the deck officer to all of the MACOs, both Alpha and Beta squad, as well as the Romulan officers who would also be serving as ground troops. Ed sighed, and placed his helmet over his head.

"Buckets on, boys," he said to his men. "Let's go kick the crap outta some Imp Stormies."

"_Oya_!" Alpha squad exclaimed simultaneously, using the Mandalorian term meaning 'let's roll.'

The two squads boarded the drop ships.

**AN: The Raid at Bespin will begin in the Next Chapter. I basically have it planned out, but as usual, any suggestions are welcome. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Thanks again to Master of the Boot. As always, I welcome reviews and suggestions. Again, this chapter focuses on the battle itself, as ive had enough character development chapters to last a couple of chapters. Here ill focus on Alpha and Beta squadron's assault. Also, at the begining i'll feature Jaina in her classic role as a former Rogue Squadron pilot. This chapter also guest stars the only minor character to survive all three original trilogy movies, surviving both Death Stars as well as Hoth. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

"Alpha R squadron, you are clear for launch," came the voice of the Flight Control Officer over Jaina's helmet comm.

"Alpha Leader acknowledging," Jaina replied. She activated the repulsors on her X-Wing fighter, and the craft floated above the deck. The fighter floated forward as Jaina nudged the stick forward. She was followed by her wingman and the rest of Alpha Romulan squadron, who was in turn followed by the leader of Blue R squad. As for Jaina, she followed the rear flight of Gold R squadron, which was led by Jag.

"_All wings report in_," General Wedge Antilles ordered from his own X-Wing. As the senior Starfighter Command Officer aboard the _Nest_, he was in charge of all the fighters supporting the fleet. He currently led Sabaac squad, the elite squadron permanently attached to Admiral Solo. A few squadrons reported in, and then Jag's voice came over the comm.

"_Gold R squadron locked and loaded_."

"Alpha R ready to go General," Jaina said to her former commanding officer.

A few more wings reported in, finishing with Zero R squadron.

"_Alpha R, is that you, sticks?_" Wedge asked, using what had been her callsign as a Rogue pilot.

"Yes sir," she replied, grinning.

"_You still running around with that crazy Mando and his buddies?_"

"Of course, General. The crazy Mando said to say hi to the psycho Corellian pilot."

"_Me or your father?_"

Jaina grinned. "It's great to be flying with you again sir," she said.

"_Same here sticks, same here_," Wedge replied. "_May the Force be with us_."

8888888888888888888

The first to spot the fleet was an orbital processing station. They immediately reported the sighting to the Imperials at Cloud City, who at first ignored the warning, mistaking it for just another false alarm from a paranoid station jockey. But that report was followed by another, and then another, and finally an Imperial patrol squadron was redirected to investigate. The patrol reported sighting a large force approaching, and then was not heard from again.

The Imperials became worried, and sent a transmission to Imperial Center requesting orders. The transmissions never left the system, as they were jammed by the incoming Alliance fleet. So the Imperials roused their system defense force, and sent a direct transmission to the nearest Imperial outpost- Hoth. The Imperials were surprised when this transmission went through, but they did not realize that the fleet had _allowed_ the transmission to escape.

And so, when the Alliance fleet arrived in system and began launching fighters, they were met by one _Victory_ class Star Destroyer, two _Dreadnaught_ frigates, and their attending squadrons of TIE fighters. The naval fleet quickly engaged the Imperials, and one quarter of the fighters moved to attack the TIEs. Meanwhile, the drop-ships in which the MACOs rode were the first to enter Bespin's outer atmosphere. As soon as they reached a certain point, the outer hatches opened up, and the MACOs prepared to jump out of the craft.

_"Beta Squad!"_ came the voice of Colonel O'Riley, who was coordinating the MACO assault over the comm. system. "_Ready to jump_?"

"Locked and loaded!" Ed replied for his squad.

"_Jump now_!" O'Riley commanded.

The MACOs complied, releasing the clamps that had held them in. The MACOs dropped out the open bottom of the ship. Letting gravity take hold of them, they dropped hundreds of feet, specialized armor protecting them from the intense heat. To their left, Alpha squad dropped from their ships, headed for another location.

"Good luck Alpha!" Ed said over the helmet comm.

8888888888888888

Finally, when they hit a pre-designated height, a glider chute unfolded from Alpha squad's packs, and they activated jetpacks to control their descent- right onto the gas platforms.

Immediately, the MACOs tapped their chest plates, and the chutes retracted into the top portion of the pack. The MACOs pulled rifles from a recessed portion of their armor.

"Secure the platform!" Chief ordered Alpha squad, with the exception of Jaina, who was flying cover for the tankers that would arrive in minutes.

Before they could comply, six hatches opened on the edges of the platform, and out of them raised six turbolaser turrets, each one manned by an Imperial stormtrooper. And around each one stood four troopers. Not expecting enemies to already be on the platform, their weapons were lowered to the deck. This was a mistake eight of them did not live to regret, as they were shot by the MACOs. The remaining troopers raised their weapons and returned fire, prompting the MACOs to take cover behind the immense gas tanks.

"Are you insane?" one of the troopers shouted at the others. "You'll hit the tanks! Hold fire!"

This was precisely what Chief had hoped for. Now instead of shooting at them from a secure location, the stormies would have to come around and get them.

"TT-7827 and 7828, go around the left of the tank behind them and outflank them," the trooper who had commanded them to hold fire whispered to two of his men over the helmet comm. "TT-9822 and 9823, take the right."

Four of the troopers on the opposite side of the platform immediately moved to comply with his order. However, Alpha squad was quicker. Chief had already moved his men covertly past the tank they had originally hidden behind, and they had set up an ambush, anticipating the trooper's tactic.

"_ETA to tanker arrival four minutes_," said Jaina, who was assigned along with her wingman to land at the platform they were securing. "_We'll be in firing range of the turrets in two_."

Chief nodded to Gunny, asking him to respond to Jaina instead of him, as he was otherwise occupied.

"Acknowledged Sabre," Gunny said over his helmet comm.

As the troopers snuck around the tanker, they were surprised by Chief and Hawkeye, who hit them with a stun bolt, set to silencer mode. The first two fell, hit by the stun bolt dead center in the neck. The other two didn't go down as easily. One of them was dropped by two shots to the chest, the other managed to get a shot off before he was himself hit. The MACOs then reset their rifles to automatic blaster fire and charged the platforms the four had come from, which were now guarded by only two guards and a gunner each. The four troops were killed quickly, and one of the gunners surrendered. The other was killed as he attempted to turn and fire on them. Two platforms were captured. The MACOs then charged two more, eliminating the troopers guarding them. They now had control of four of the six turrets, and the two remaining turrets were pointed in the wrong direction to hit the incoming tanker.

"I'm giving you one chance to surrender!" Chief shouted to the guards.

The three troopers remaining at the first turret lowered their blasters and put their hands above their heads. Gunny covered them while Trapper took the seat of the turret. The troopers at the other turret refused to surrender, and continued firing on the MACOs. Then the remaining turret began swinging around… straight towards the gas tank.

"Trapper!" Chief yelled. "Get that thing pointed towards them and fire. Trapper complied and the turbolaser swung around to face the enemy turret. He pulled the trigger of the laser, and a large bolt came out of the nozzle, striking the enemy laser before it had a chance to fire on the tanks, which would have resulted in the loss of the entire platform. As it was, the flames from the destroyed turret threatened to ignite the tanks.

"Get that fire out!" Chief shouted. Hawkeye pulled a small fire-suppression kit from his pack, and pointed an extinguisher at the fire. It was soon out.

_"Sabre to Alpha Ms,_" came the voice of Jaina over the comm., "_I take it by the absence of fire that you have secured the platform._"

"Right," Chief responded. "One laser destroyed, five secured, eight prisoners taken, twenty-two dead or wounded. Tankers are clear to load."

_"Acknowledged_," Jaina replied.

888888888888888888888

As the Alphas secured their platform, Beta squad had more trouble. Their platform was occupied by not only standard troopers, but also two Imperial Commandos, remnants of Vader's original 501st Legion.

"Go, go, go!" Ed shouted to his men as they were ambushed by some stormies. The first transport they were supposed to be guarding had already been destroyed, and at this rate, the second would have to divert to an alternate platform. Tex covered the other's retreat, scoring a lucky shot that killed, or at least wounded, one of the black armored commandos.

Beta squad took cover behind a disabled turret that was being worked on when they landed- the reason the Imperials had met their attack without as much surprise as the Alpha's opponents had.

"We're pinned down!" Tex said as he joined him. "Shouldn't we call for backup?"

"Not while I'm in charge, we won't!" Ed replied, shooting his blaster at the enemy, just barely missing one of the Stormtroopers.

"Well then, Mister Boss Sir, what do you propose we do?"

Ed grinned.

"Whatever you're thinkin' boss, don't do it!" Tex said as Ed pulled a grenade out of his belt pouch.

"Hey!" Ed shouted aloud towards the Imps. "Whoever's in charge over there, listen up! I have a grenade here, and I'm ready and willing to use it!"

"Are you insane?" the remaining commando asked. "You'll kill us all!"

"Actually, my sanity has never satisfactorily been determined," Ed replied with a wide crocodile grin. "And as for death, well, better that than prisoners of the Empire, I've seen what they do to their prisoners, and that ain't gonna happen to my squad!"

"You're bluffing," the commando said, and Ed could hear the smirk in his voice.

"When I throw this grenade," Ed said to his men over the helmet comm., "I want you to charge them."

Ed lifted his arm up so the Imperials could see it but not shoot it, and pulled the pin. He cocked his arm back, and threw it right at the commando. To the commando's credit, he quickly picked it up and started to throw it back, but it went off in his hand. And all of the Stormtroopers dived for cover… as smoke rolled out of the grenade.

The MACOs had done as ordered, and charged the troopers the second the grenade left Ed's hand. So while the Imperials dove for cover, discarding their blasters, the MACOs attacked.

Within minutes, the platform was secure.

**AN: Trivia: I took Ed's line "that has never satisfactorily been determined" from the original A-Team series. Gotta love Murdock! Incidently, can anyone guess what character on Star Trek was played by the same actor who played Murdock? Hint: He's often confused for a vegetable. I put this out there because I plan to use this character before too long, and want to make sure my readers know who the heck i'm talking about. Also, any ideas on how to work him in? Again, thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: This Chapter will center around a space battle. I've tried to keep it simple, but I was strongly inspired by the X-Wing series of books. This is a longer chapter, but hopefully its interesting enough. Thanks again to Master of the Boot for the reviews. And now, without further adieu, we finish up the raid at Bespin chapter of Operation: Dust**

Chapter 8

"We have fifteen tankers fueling, five lost in transit," an ensign reported to Admiral Solo. Han winced.

"That's five too many," he said.

"Could be worse, Han," General Lando Calrissian said. As the former administrator of Cloud City, he had come along on the mission as an advisor. "As it is, we got five percent better than acceptable losses.

Han smiled. "Thanks old buddy, but for me there aren't any acceptable losses, no matter what the civilian council says."

"Oh?" Lando said, raising an eyebrow. "And does it matter what a certain member of the council thinks? One that happens to be your wife?"

"Leia's different," Han insisted as the battle went on around them. The Imperial capital ships had already been disabled or destroyed, and only the fighters still fought on, waiting for reinforcements that were sure to come. "She's not a normal politician- she actually cares what happens to people, not what others think about random statistics. She's like me- when she hears thirty percent, she doesn't think 'acceptable losses,' she thinks that out of a force of twenty ships, each with living, breathing people aboard it, five won't make it home."

"And on that depressing note, Han, it appears that the Imperial reinforcements have arrived."

Onto the screens there appeared a group large enough to represent half of the task force that had been guarding the Hoth base- led by a single _Imperial II_-class Star Destroyer. The force also included multiple Dreadnaughts and various classes of frigates, as well as four _Victory_ Star Destroyers. Though it was still half the size of Solo's fleet, it was still a formidable force, and one larger than what had been anticipated.

"_Stang_," Han cursed. "Call the tankers. Tell 'em to get out now, regardless of how full they are. And get those MACOs back to the _Empress_. We can't afford to let this be a wasted mission. And tell the other ships to make calculations for a quick escape to Hoth, then activate their 'sabotaged' drives upon arrival."

The real battle was just beginning.

888888888888888

At the station known as New Space One, the first Alliance station to be built in the Echo Galaxy, secure transmissions arrived all the time, and most had a high priority. So it was that when a transmission that seemed to originate in Imperial Space arrived bearing the mark "priority one," it was tossed in with all of the other transmissions by a well-meaning Yeoman, one that was new, and unfamiliar with ROBIN procedures.

The transmission remained in the pile, until it was noticed one day by a passing officer who, as it happened, was one of the few who was familiar with the emergency ROBIN signal. The officer quickly brought the transmission packet to General Garm Bel-Iblis, Station Commander and member of the Alliance War Council, whose members were the only ones cleared to read a ROBIN transmission. And what he read after opening it caused him, one of the Alliances bravest and most experienced officers, to be afraid.

"Get me a secure ROBIN alert priority transmission to all available members of the War Council!" he ordered the communications officer on the bridge. Before long, he faced a split screen, which evenly divided the faces of the council members who were available.

"Operation Dust has been compromised," he said simply. He then called up the ROBIN transmission to his screen, and pressed 'transmit.'

As the members of the council read the message from the deep cover spy, they understood hi concern. The transmission read: "_SSD en-route to Hoth. The traitor commands. I will be aboard, will try to help. Extraction not advisable. If dust before phase one, abort. If not, good luck. -ROBIN_

"Has Solo completed Phase one? Can we abort?" Admiral Joshua Hartman asked.

"We can't reach Solo's fleet, so they must be jamming. That means they've already begun," said General Jan Dodona, standing in for Solo, Antilles, and Calrissian while they were out. "It's too late to turn back now."

"What can we do to assist?" asked General Worf.

"All we can do is order Commodore Riker and Captain Data's fleet to stand by to assist," Admiral Hartman said. "Other than that, all we can do is, as ROBIN so aptly says; say 'good luck.'"

"And may the Force be with us," Dodona said silently.

888888888888888888888888

"_All troops, return to nest, repeat, return to nest!"_ came a voice over Jaina's helmet comm. The order meant that it was time to pull out and retreat.

"Acknowledged, control," she replied. "Transport T-6, withdraw!"

"_But we haven't finished filling up yet!_" the tanker's commander, who didn't know the details of operation dust, said.

"If you don't pull out now, a full tank'll just be more to detonate on you!" Jaina replied angrily. "Pull out now, T-6, that's an order!"

"_Acknowledged_," the commander replied reluctantly. The transport crew below dethatched the lines connecting the tanker to the Tibanna gas container. They then boarded the ship, and it took off, leaving the last two tanks untouched, one half full, and seven completely empty.

As for the MACOs, a gunship had already picked them up. The tanker's own security forces had stood by, guarding the ship in case of an attack by more stormtroopers. They too joined the crew and withdrew from the platform.

And it was in the nick of time, too. A few moments after the tanker cleared the platform, a squadron of TIE Interceptors, or "squints" as they were called in pilot slang, descended upon the platform, firing on the fuel tanks. The platform exploded, casting a huge fireball into Bespin's orange sky.

Jaina quickly changed course, moving to intercept the squadron.

"First and second flight, follow me in," she said, referring to Alpha's two through six. "Three and four flights, cover the tankers escape."

Jaina received acknowledgements from her squadron pilots. The Romulans, unlike Jaina, piloted two-person _Scorpion_-class assault fighters. The small craft were quite maneuverable and fast, and were armed by a disruptor turret on the dorsal side, directly in front of the gunner, who sat behind and in front of the pilot. In fact, the craft were so maneuverable, their most famous use was when then Captain Picard and Commander Data had literally flown them through the corridors of a _Scimitar_ class warbird, finally blasting their way through the windows in the observation deck!

However, the _Scorpions_, like any small craft, had weaknesses. For one, their shielding was limited to about the level of an A-Wing fighter. Jaina had had the option of flying one for the mission, but she much preferred her own X-Wing, which she was far more familiar with.

Jaina banked towards the squadron, the first flight of which banked in turn to meet her and her flight.

"S-foils to attack position," Jaina whispered to herself. She didn't have to say it to her squadron, as they did not use strike foils. In a way, that was smart, as it decreased their targeting profile. However, there was also a complementary difficulty- as everything was compacted; the craft was easier to blow up than the distributed systems of the X-wing. The first shot was fired by the TIEs. It was a wild shot, though, and missed completely.

"Hold your fire, boys, we can't reach them yet, and they can't reach us, she said to the _scorpions_. "I hope."

"_That's not very reassuring, Commander_," replied Sub-Commander T'skell, her wingman and X.O.

"Just so long as we're more accurate than the squints, we'll be fine." Jaina revised.

"_Squints_?" T'skell inquired.

"What, you've never heard the Republic slang for Interceptors?"

"_This is our first time working with a Republic pilot, Commander._"

"Call me either lead or Sabre!" she said, but she could say no more after that, though, as the TIEs were now actually in firing range. "Okay, take 'em down boys!"

The _Scorpions_ moved off to engage individual targets. Jaina accelerated to engage the lead squint. She lined the TIE up with her sights and fired. The squint banked hard right, taking advantage of his greater maneuverability. The laser bolts just missed him. Unfortunately, he banked in the wrong direction- and went straight into a disruptor bolt fired by T'skell. The squint vaporized as Jaina banked left to engage another squint.

This one had a barely perceptible yellow stripe down its side- meaning the pilot had, at one time or another, been a member of the 181st TIE battalion, the best flyers in the Empire, brought to greatness and fame by the great Baron Soontiir Fel himself! Of course, the fact that this one was not currently with the 181st could mean many different things. It could for one mean that he had been transferred, or even kicked out of the regular 181st. This could mean he was a terrible pilot, unfit for the 181st, or he was a good pilot, and was sent to this post to be one of their best.

Jaina approached him to attack, but this TIE didn't wait to be fired on. Instead he looped upwards and then back to a position level with Jaina. Level with her…and behind her. He then opened fire with his own lasers. They impacted for a moment, and Jaina banked once more, this time to the right. She looped all the way around, trying to get behind him the way he'd gotten behind her. She wasn't able to, though, he was too good for that.

"Just my luck," she said. "I get one of the good ones."

8888888888888888888888

While Jaina and Alpha-R squadron fought the TIEs off of the Tankers, most of the fighters in space were picking TIEs off of the capital ships- and some were attacking the Imperial capital ships.

"Damage report!" Han demanded as a torpedo slammed into the _Falcon's Nest_.

"Shields down to 78% sir, minor hull damage," the operations officer said.

Han grinned.

"They've barely scratched the paint! Divert power from shields and weaponry to propulsion- and as soon as the tankers are ready to jump, get us out of this mess."

"They're on their way sir," the ops officer reported. "ETA ten minutes."

"Great!" Han said. "How much did we get?"

"All surviving tankers seventy-five percent or more full," he replied.

"Good enough," Lando said. "That's better than I thought we'd get on this little escapade!"

Suddenly, the bridge was rocked by a direct hit from the turbolaser of an Imperial Star Destroyer.

"What the blazes was that?" Han shouted.

"That, sir, was a blast from the Destroyer that's preparing to broadside us," said one of the sensor officers.

"What?" Han yelled. "How'd they get past the screens?"

"Simple- I let them through," the officer said, and drew a blaster, preparing to shoot Han.

The Blaster was yanked from his hand by an unseen force- a Force wielded by none other than Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker, disguised as an Alliance Security officer.

The actual security officers brought their own blasters up a second later and stunned the shooter.

"Thanks kid," Han said.

"Well, I sensed something strange from him the moment I saw him," Ben told his Uncle.

"That's great kid, but now we've got another problem," Han replied as another shot hit him. "That ship's about to broadside us and that'll definitely get through our shields! Divert all power available to the shields and port turbolasers!"

"Aye sir!"

888888888888888888888888

On the _Empress Ael_, there was no damage. Mostly there was no damage because they were the farthest outside the system, but also because the other ships were already engaged.

"How goes the battle Donatra?" Nahrahl asked.

"Well, _Khre'Riov_, Donatra replied. Donatra had been Nahrahl's staunchest supporter, and would herself be an Admiral if she had not decided to turn it down in favor of remaining the Commander of the flagship of the Romulan Fleet. Though Nahrahl had command of the ship now, Donatra was officially in command. She was fiercely loyal to Nahrahl, though, and followed her every order.

"Commander!" one of the subcommanders said, "incoming transmission from the flagship!"

"Onscreen!" Donatra ordered.

The screen was filled with intermittent static, but they could still make out Solo's features. He was leaning over his command chair, a rogue lock of hair hanging over his face. The Bridge shook around him as he spoke.

"Nahrahl, we need help over here!" Han said. "We had a traitor on the bridge- he let the Imps through our screens. They're broadsiding us, and though we're giving as good as we get, we can't take much more!"

"We'll be right there!" Nahrahl said, gesturing to her helmsman, who complied, laying in a course for the flagship.

The massive drive systems of the warbird engaged, and the warbird made a micro warp jump further into the system- and came out of it just before the fighter screen covering the capital ships.

"Inform the fighters we need an escort through the line," Nahrahl ordered.

"Receiving a response," the communications officer said.

"Let's hear it!" Donatra said.

"_Alpha-R squad here, word is you need an escort_!"

"This word is correct," Nahrahl replied. "We're going to assist the _Nest_. We need to get through the fighters on both sides!"

"_You got it, Commander_," Jaina acknowledged.

With the fighter's assistance, they waded their way through the battle, making it to the center of the battle, where the _Nest_ was being hit, and in turn was hitting, an _Imperial II_ class Star Destroyer.

"Open fire!" Nahrahl ordered.

The _Empress_ shot her disruptor at the ISD. And hit it- on the side that its shields were weakest.

"Direct hit _Khre'Riov_!" the weapons officer exclaimed.

"Fire everything we have!" Nahrahl ordered.

The weapons officer complied, firing all disruptors and torpedoes. For a few moments, space lit up in greens, blues, and reds. And then there were explosions, as the shots impacted on the Destroyer, which was configured for a broadside assault, not the frontal attack it was now receiving. The Destroyer was helpless, and literally broke in half, flames spewing from where it was hit until they were quickly extinguished by the vacuum of space.

"_Yeeeaaaahooo_!" Han Solo shouted from the _Nest_.

Nahrahl grinned.

"_Scratch one Imp_!" came the voice of Jaina Solo, who was still patched in over the bridge intercom. This brought a small grin from Fi Skirata, who still sat at the rear of the bridge.

"_Kandosii, jetii'kad_," he whispered silently, using the Mandalorian terms meaning "well done, lightsabre."

"Now let's finish recovering those tankers and get the heck out of here!" Han said.

88888888888888888888888888


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry its taken so long, for some reason I haven't been able to submit lately. This chapter and the next begin the climax of this whole story. Hopefully the next chapter will be up tomorrow, and there will be more following it. In fact, I'm also planning a sequel to this. Once again, thanks to Master of the Boot, still my only reviewer, for his great reviews.**

Chapter 9

Jaina Solo pulled her helmet off as she exited the cockpit of the X-Wing fighter, allowing her hair to flow freely. She was met with cheers from the crew on the flight deck of the _Empress Ael_, as were each member of her squadron, as well as the other squadron. Nahrahl stood at attention near her fighter, as did Commander Donatra and the MACOs.

"Well done Commander Solo!" Nahrahl said. Of course, the other squadrons had also done well, but she had distinguished herself in battle, defeating not only the 181st pilot and holding the TIEs off of the tankers, but also escorting and covering the _Empress_ as it went to aid the flagship. "I'm recommending you for an Alliance Medal of Honor upon our return to Alliance space."

"Th-thank you _Khre'Riov_!" Jaina stuttered. And with good reason! The Alliance Medal of Honor was an honor invented only a short time ago to honor the most elite of the Alliance officers and civilians. Thus far, only the members of Shark squadron had received the honor, and most of them posthumously!

"Congratulations Jaina," Fi Skirata said with a proud fatherly gleam in his eyes, no doubt the same look her father would give her when he learned of this honor.

"You earned it Sabre!" Trapper exclaimed from behind Fi.

"As for the rest of you," Nahrahl said, addressing the other pilots, "I'm giving you all a blanket promotion to everybody under the rank of Commander, and for those of you who are Commanders, you will be honored upon our return!"

This announcement was met with cheers from all concerned. Nahrahl allowed them to continue for a moment, and then quieted them with a raise of her hand.

"However, this day is not yet over! In two hours, we will drop out of hyperspace, and we will no doubt be met by as strong a force as we just faced, and most likely the same enemies we left behind us as well!"

This announcement was met with silence and confusion. Only the MACOs and Senior Officers, namely Nahrahl and Donatra, had been aware of the full details of Operation Dust.

"Now that we are no longer in danger of sabotage, Admiral Solo has given me permission to tell you our true mission: We go to take from the Empire it's newest war machine, an _Ultra_-class Star Destroyer!"

This news was met with stress of astonishment at first, but it soon turned into a cheer of hopefulness.

"This task will not be an easy one, but it is well worth the risk- and our ship has been chosen as the center of the entire operation," Nahrahl continued. "Our mission is to take place in the Hoth system, where, in order to draw out the protectors of the unfinished destroyer, the entire fleet, excluding the tankers and a few minor support craft, will feign sabotage and/or damage to their drive systems. We anticipate a heavy assault from the enemy, in fact, we are counting on it. I'm sure many of you are curious as to what are in the unmarked storage containers in our cargo bays. Well, let your curiosity be satisfied: The crates contain many of the key parts of a _Scimitar_ warbird identical to our ship.

"During the battle, there will be much confusion- and friendly fire casualties are inevitable, especially when we have been 'sabotaged.' During this battle, one of the turbolasers aboard the flagship, set to a reduced setting, will score a direct hit to our unshielded bridge. This shot, if it were on full power, would vaporize the _Empress_. Therefore, after the blow strikes us, we will explosively release our cargo, which will appear to be debris. Simultaneously, we will cloak, and move out of the battle, and into the asteroid field, leaving most of you, our fighter craft, behind."

The crew listened with growing apprehension, yet this apprehension was permeated by a feeling of pride that they, the best crew in the Romulan Republic, had been chosen to carry out such a hazardous mission.

"As for our guests, Alpha and Beta squads of the MACO Special Operations Division, they will carry out the next phase of our mission. This mission, as I'm sure you all can guess, is vital to the security of not only our republic, but of the entire Alliance! Good luck to us all, and may the force of this galaxy be with us!"

The entire hanger bay erupted in a booming cheer.

888888888888888888888

An hour later, having taken a shower and meditating for a while, Jaina stepped into the mess hall wearing her MACO uniform once more. The rest of her squad as well as Beta squad sat around the largest table sharing a light meal. And sitting across the table from where she now stood, looking straight at her was Ed Carrol.

When he saw her, he stood up and approached her.

"Jaina, I want to apologize for the way I acted before the mission."

"I'm sorry?" Jaina replied angrily. "You want to apologize for being a jerk? Is that what you want to apologize for?"

"Well, yes."

"No thank you!" she replied loudly, not realizing, or caring, that the other MACOs had noticed their conversation and were now watching them. "If you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for the mission!" She turned and ran away from the mess hall.

Ed stood there watching her leave. Jag Fell approached him.

"Well, I suppose you won," Ed said sadly. "She's all yours."

"Are you insane?" Jag replied. "Go after her!"

"But I thought…"

"He's right, kid," Fi said, standing on the other side of Ed.

"It's clear she loves you, not me," Jag said as Tex silently exited the mess hall following Jaina. "I'm a big enough man to admit that."

"That girl's the closest thing to a daughter I've got," Fi said. "And if anyone's going to be with her, I'm glad it's you and not some random fighter jock, no offense to Jag here."

"None taken, sir."

"And I'm sure her actual father would agree with me if he were here that you need to get your _shebs _out there and stop her!"

Ed was shocked. Here were the two people with the most reason to keep him and Jaina apart trying to put them together.

"I- uh, thanks!" Ed said, and he headed out the door.

888888888888888888888

Jaina stormed down the corridor, unsure of where she was going. She had no idea why she had reacted so… violently. In fact, she had acted even worse than he had!

As she walked, she sensed someone running behind her, trying to catch up. She whirled, expecting to find Ed, and prepared to ball him out again, and was thus surprised when he was not the one behind her.

"Tex!" she exclaimed, startled. "I hope he didn't send you after me, 'cause I am not going back there!"

"Ed's still standin' in the mess hall like a deer caught in the headlights," Tex replied.

"A _what_?" Jaina replied, not recognizing his colloquialism.

"Forget about it," Tex said. "Forgive me, but don't you think you over-reacted a bit there?"

Jaina looked downwards, ashamedly realizing he was right.

"Maybe," she admitted, but then looked up at Tex, her eyes regaining some of her anger. "But so did he!"

Tex shook his head.

"I know, Ed told me what happened," he said.

"Oh, just great! Now he's telling…" she began, but was cut off by Tex.

"You just don't get it, do you?" he said indignantly. "How could you? You never bothered to ask about his past, did you?"

"Well I…"

"Quiet!" Tex barked. "No matter how bad a life you've had, I guarantee you he's had it worse!"

"I sincerely doubt that!" Jaina replied, remembering the pain she had felt over Jacen's betrayal and Chewie's death. But then Tex told her about Ed's past, about the massacre of his entire family… including his fiancé. And then, suddenly, her anger was gone as she realized why he hadn't wanted her to go on the mission.

"I am such an idiot!" she said, regretting how she had spoken to him.

"No, I'm the idiot," came a voice from behind them. It was Ed, and he had heard most of their conversation.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "I didn't realize…"

She was cut off as Ed kissed her.

"Looks like my work here is done," Tex said, returning to the mess hall with a wide grin.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The fleet traveled as one unit through hyperspace, moving at the fastest possible speed known to exist. And then, as one, the entire fleet dropped out of hyperspace, back into real space. Activating their old-style warp engines, they maneuvered to position themselves away from the system's sun. They began to reactivate their drive systems, ostensibly to reposition themselves for a jump to the rendezvous point. Finally, the command was broadcasted to enter hyperspace… and only a miniscule portion of the fleet, including the tankers and a few escort frigates, leaped out. The other ships remained in system, feigning a crippled hyperdrive network.

Before long, a small Imperial scout shuttle was sent from the concealed Imperial base to investigate the invading fleet. This shuttle intercepted a transmission encrypted with an Imperial code. A transmission that claimed to be from a deep cover Imperial spy who had disabled the hyperdrives of the fleet, and requested any Imperials in the area to attack the immobilized target. The Commander of the base, ignoring the cautionary advice of his executive officer, devoted all of the base's support craft, including the Star Destroyer, to immediately attack the seemingly crippled fleet. In fact, he personally led the majority of the base's Stormtrooper contingent aboard the lead Destroyer, wanting to personally take command of the _Nest_ in order to present it as a gift to Lord Caedus as he was due to arrive soon.

This was better than the mission planners had hoped for. As the entire Imperial force approached, the fleet's carriers and Destroyers launched fighters, and the Frigates and escorts formed a protective perimeter around the flagship. This strategy had recently become popularly known as "circling the wagons." As for the _Empress_, it remained close to the _Nest_. When the fighting began, there was, as had been planned, much confusion. And so the Imperials did not think it unusual when the _Nest_ scored a direct hit on the bridge of the _Empress_, and debris flew everywhere.

888888888888888888888

"Engage the cloaking device!" Nahrahl commanded as the cargo hold discharged the debris.

"Cloak engaged," the sensor officer reported as the ship became invisible.

"Move us into the belt," Nahrahl ordered. "Sergeant Skirata, Commander Fel, please inform your men that we're moving into position."

The two men complied, contacting their men over a secure comlink. Meanwhile, the battle continued in space, but they were now moving beyond it.

"Be careful helmsman, if one of the enemy craft hits us, it may destabilize the specialized cloaking device, and it could end this whole scheme!"

"So no pressure then," the human helmsman replied sarcastically.

The warbird maneuvered through the last of the enemy line, and entered the asteroid belt slowly and carefully.

"Not that way, boy!" Fel said. "The only way to get through a belt is fast!"

"Right, I knew that," the helmsman said.

"We need a couple of fighters to fly ahead and blow some asteroids to clear the way, this ship is just a little too big to fly through without incident."

"We left all of our fighters with the fleet," Nahrahl answered.

"Excuse me, _Khre'Riov_," the Flight controller interrupted. "That's not entirely accurate."

"Well, what've we got?" Nahrahl asked.

"We have Solo's X-Wing and my Clawcraft," Fel answered for him. "Problem is, we can't spare Jaina to fly her X-Wing, and I'm pretty sure none of your crew can fly an X-Wing."

"Actually, I'm qualified to fly one of those experimental fighters I saw down in the hanger," Fi said.

"You mean those new _Viper_ wings command sent us?" Donatra said incredulously. "They've never been flown in combat before, that's why we didn't launch them with the others."

Fi grinned. "This isn't combat. Besides, those things were made by Mandalorians- and they've got _Beskar-gam _armor built in. If anything can take a hit, it's that little beast."

"Go," Nahrahl commanded. The two sergeants nodded and left the bridge, heading for the hanger deck, where the MACOs were preparing to be launched.

8888888888888888

"Ye sure we'll all fit in these wee rocks?" Scotty asked Jaina as they approached the disguised capsule.

"I'm sure," Major Runningbear replied. "On another mission, I managed to fit two whole squads in an escape pod not much bigger than this, and we only need to fit one squad each."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, you're a real leader Mister veteran of the year, now can we load already?" Ed interrupted.

As Chief began to reply, the door to the hanger opened and Fi and Jag stepped in the room, both wearing pilot's jumpsuits.

"Don't tell me the old man's coming too," Ed said sarcastically.

"Hey! Show a little respect for the Sarge," Jaina said.

"Look at that! You and Jaina have only been together for less than an hour, and it's already clear who wears the pants around here!" Trapper said.

"Shut your namesake, or yer new name's gonna be trap_less_!" Ed replied fiercely.

"Gentlemen, Jaina," Fi acknowledged as he and Jag walked past them to the four fighters that remained on deck. One of them was Jag's Clawcraft, one Jaina's X-wing fighter. The remaining two were the new experimental fighters from Mandalore. The _Viper_ had a compacted shape, with four engine exhaust units in the aft section for the sublight and hyperdrives, and it tapered off to a blunt point in the fore section. It was painted black and green, and featured both an Alliance insignia and a MandalMotors insignia on opposite sides of the cockpit, which sat just in front of the engines. On the forward ventral side, two black laser tubes protruded on either side if the nose. Underneath the craft were torpedo tubes and missiles. Basically, the _Viper_ looked like a compacted X-wing fighter, with heavier armor and weapons. This compensated for the fact that it was also slower than most other fighters.

"Where ya goin' sirs?" Tex asked.

"We're going to clear the way of asteroids so you boys can get through the field," Fi replied as the cockpit of the _Viper_ rose. He climbed up the ladder and sat in the one-seat compact cockpit, which was designed for use in battle, not for long-distance hyper travel.

"_K'oyacyi_ Sarge," Chief said, using the Mandalorian term for "stay alive."

"Good luck," Ed added.

_"Claw one and Viper one, you are clear for launch_," said Flight Controller T'kar over the intercom. A forcefield formed over the hanger door, and the massive durasteel doors retracted into the walls. The two fighters activated their repulsorlifts and shot out of the hanger.

"Handles okay," Fi said to Nahrahl over the helmet comm. "Could use a little work, though."

"_I'll keep that in mind Sergeant Skirata_," Nahrahl replied.

The _Viper_ sped onward towards the asteroids, and fired on the largest it encountered. After destroying a few that were in the way, Fi again contacted the warbird.

"Am I clear to test the Raptor-7 missiles?"

"_Negative, Viper one, it would draw too much attention_."

"Acknowledged, lasers only."

The two fighters cleared a path through the asteroid belt, but turned back as they reached the sensor field perimeter for the Imperial base.

"_Empress Ael_, you are clear to advance," Jag said as he blasted the last asteroid in the way into a more manageable size.

"_Thank you, Claw one. Return to hanger._"

"Hold that thought, Commander!" Fi exclaimed as he spotted a TIE fighter coming out from hiding to engage them. "We've got a squint inbound!"

"Does he know we're here?" Jag asked.

"He sure knows we're here, but he doesn't know about the _Empress_ yet," Fi replied.

"_We're picking up a transmission between the TIE and its base- they say there's two fighters scouting the asteroid belt, but there is no indication that they know about us."_

"Orders?" Fi asked.

"_Draw the TIE back towards the main fleet and enter the fight with our other fighters. Make it look like you were on your own."_

"Copy, _Empress_," Jag acknowledged. "So long, and may the Force be with you."

8888888888888888888888888

"We've reached the drop site _Khre'Riov_," the helmsman informed Nahrahl.

"Launch the asteroids when ready," she ordered. A moment later, two small asteroids appeared onscreen. They were barely moving, using only the momentum of the launch itself.

"Fire projectiles," she ordered as soon as the "asteroids" reached scanning range of the Imperial station. Two smaller asteroids shot out of the _Empress_ at a much faster rate, and collided with the shuttles at a predetermined angle. The majority of the smaller asteroid's momentum transferred to the shuttles, causing them to increase speed. They were now headed towards the dry-dock, at an angle that would cause a near miss. If the shuttles had headed directly for the dry-dock, the automated defenses would have vaporized them before they reached transporter range.

"Shuttle is en route, no deviation from flight path," the Operations officer informed her.

Nahrahl breathed a sigh of relief. Their part was over. Soon the shuttles would reach transporter range, and the MACOs would beam over to the USD. The asteroid shuttles would continue onward, eventually colliding with another asteroid. At this point, the explosives within the shuttles would detonate, and all evidence of the boarding would be gone. It was all up to the MACOs now.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Gunner materialized in a darkened room. Immediately, he switched his helmet visor to night-vision. The room went from pitch black to different shades of green, and five red shapes as the infrared spectrum overlaid the night vision. So they had all made it.

Chief raised his hand in an "Okay" symbol, and then spun his finger around, telling the MACOs to secure the cargo bay they had beamed into. The MACOs spread out, raising their rifles in front of them. In theory, the bay was deserted. However, it paid to be cautious. And in a moment, their caution was justified as Hawkeye discovered, folded up in a corner, a Droideka, better known as a Destroyer droid. The droid was in sleep mode, apparently programmed to activate if any light or noise was detected.

Hawkeye pulled an EMP grenade from his pack, and placed it on the deck next to the Destroyer. He then stepped back as it went off with a noiseless blue flash. Immediately, the Destroyer awakened, but then shut down completely as an Electromagnetic Pulse flooded its systems. As soon as it fell, Hawkeye pulled a knife and cut several vital wires from the droid, permanently disabling it.

After a more extensive search brought nothing more to their attention, Chief activated a palm light.

"Good job boys," he said. "And thank you, Captain Scott, for making us these noiseless droid poppers."

"Ach, it was no trouble at all lad," Scotty replied, standing up with a groan. He had beamed in sitting down, covered by Jaina. Though he carried a phaser, he was still an old man, and it was not likely that he would use it. He was there for technical support, not to fight.

"Scan the corridor outside," Chief ordered Jaina, who held a tricorder that was already patching into the ship's still simple computer to conceal its own presence.

"There's one guard assigned to patrol this section," Jaina said after consulting the ship's computer. "He's around the corner right now, headed this way. The assignment roster says he's supposed to check all cargo bays, including this one."

"All right then, lets prepare a little surprise for when the guard arrives," Chief said with a grin.

The MACOs gathered near the entrance, blending in with the dark environment. They held their rifles ready, set to silent stun. They hadn't come here to kill Imps, no matter how much they wanted to. Command had told them to take as many prisoners as possible, so that they could have people already expert in the workings of the USD to interrogate later.

There were a few minutes of tension, but then, finally, the door opened to reveal a single stormtrooper, just as they had expected. Before the trooper even registered their presence, he collapsed in a heap on the floor as four separate beams penetrated the weak points of his armor, namely, the arm, leg, and neck joints.

"Any more Whites on this deck?" Chief asked, using the slang term for Stormtroopers who, contrary to common sense, wore bright white armor in all settings, as opposed to the MACOs, who wore chameleon armor, which adapted dependent on the background.

"No sir," Jaina replied after consulting the tricorder.

"The Engine room is just below," Scotty informed them. "I can feel it."

"I hope that's not the only basis for that information," Chief said.

"Well, it may also have something to do with the fact that I memorized th' layout of the beastie," Scotty admitted sheepishly.

"All right then, let's get off this deck and onto the Engines," Chief said, readying his rifle.

"Jeffries tube or turbolift, Chief?" Jaina asked.

"What's the difference?"

"'Lifts may be monitored, but the tubes will have a more extensive sensor net," Jaina replied. "However, the tubes come out in the hanger, not the Engine room."

"May sounds better than will, and we can't really afford the extra travel time, but just to be safe we'll split up," Chief decided. "Sabre, Trapper, Scotty, you take the lifts. Hawkeye, Gunny, with me."

The MACOs acknowledged his orders.

"Move out, boys, and _k'oyacyi_."

888888888888888

On the second deck of the ship, Beta squad also prepared to move out. However, their goal was slightly different. Whereas the Alpha's mission required stealth in order to take the Engines as quickly as possible, the Beta's mission was simply to take the bridge, and they were not required to take prisoners.

"Well, as my ancestors used to say," Tex said as the MACOs reached the bridge, "Charge!"

The door opened silently, and the MACOs shot in like floodwater through a dam. They took careful, but quick, aim, and took out the majority of the crew in a few seconds. Unfortunately for them, though, Intelligence had failed to anticipate one crucial detail- The two Dark Trooper Drones stationed in a recessed area of the bridge. Before the MACOs had time to react, they were hit by a barrage of disruptor fire from the DTD's wrist cannon. Reacting in a flash, the MACOs turned and returned fire with a barrage of their own, simultaneously seeking cover behind some consoles. However, before they reached it, one of the DTDs activated a lightsaber from where his left hand had once been and deflected one of the MACOs own shots right back at them, striking "Killer" Roland in his chest plate. He went down, wounded, but not dead.

Jon Ton was not so lucky, as the DTD who had deflected the shot approached him and stabbed him right through the armor, killing him almost instantly. Before he died, though, he raised his rifle and pointed it at the DTD's chest. With his last ounce of strength, he pulled the trigger.

As for the remaining DTD, it was killed by a well placed shot to the cortical node and to the chest by Ed and Tex, who fired at the same time in order to confuse its pseudo-force precognitive abilities.

And, just like that, with more trouble than had been anticipated, the bridge was taken.

8888888888888888

"We are approaching the Hoth system Lord Caedus," Captain Elsek Ferras informed his master as the Super Star Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace. "There appears to be a battle in process on the outskirts of the system."

"What?" Caedus shouted. "Get me Moff Arex at the dry-dock!"

"Moff Arex is responding, but he is not at the station," the Communications officer reported. "He is aboard the _Excellence_, engaging the enemy."

"Lord Caedus!" the Moff's hologram exclaimed. "This is an unexpected pleasure!"

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander!" Caedus yelled angrily. "Why have you left my new flagship unguarded?"

"I, uh, I received a distress call from Bespin and naturally, I sent all available craft to rout the Rebel scum and…"

"And you left my ship undefended!"

Caedus raised his hand, and Arex fell to the floor clutching his throat. As he died, Captain Royale stepped onto the projector to replace him.

"I will take my shuttle and escort to the station," Caedus informed him. "This ship will remain here to assist you in destroying the Rebel fleet. You are in command now, _Moff_ Royale. Do not disappoint me."

"It will be done, my Lord," Royale replied with a bow.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"C'mon boys, what's the holdup?" Gunny asked as Chief and Hawkeye struggled with the hatch cover. He had brought up the rear, and had fallen behind as he covered their descent towards the Hanger deck.

"It's jammed," Chief replied as Hawkeye continued pushing.

"Open...up…you…piece…of…osik!" Hawkeye grunted.

"You do know that that's an airlock, right sir?" Gunny asked.

"What?"

"That hatch- it won't open until you pressurize the chamber between here and the Hanger hatch."

"Now he tells us," Hawkeye growled as he realized that no matter how hard he tried, the hatch would not open.

"So how do we pressurize the airlock genius?" Chief asked.

"Like this," Gunny said, reaching past Hawkeye and entering a sequence of numbers on a recessed pad.

"We already tried that," Hawkeye grumbled.

"Ah, but did you do it in combination with this?" Gunny pulled a lever next to the hatch that Chief had already pulled without success. As he cranked the lever, there was a hiss as the air rushed into the next compartment. And then the hatch opened.

"Voila," Gunny said with a smug grin.

"Show-off," Hawkeye muttered.

The MACOs climbed down the ladder into the airlock, first Gunny, then the others. Gunny stopped at the next hatch and pulled another lever. As the airlock was already pressurized, the hatch opened immediately this time. Gunny dropped the few remaining feet onto the metal catwalk that ran along the top of the Hanger bay. He winced at the noise made as he clanged onto it, but breathed again as he looked around, confirming that the Hanger bay was indeed empty.

"_Bridge to Alpha,_" came Ed's voice over the helmet comm.

"Go ahead," Chief said as he too jumped onto the catwalk.

"_Bridge secure, two casualties_."

"Acknowledged," Chief said. While he regretted the loss of two men to injury or death, whatever the case may be, he could not spare any time to mourn. "Beam all remaining Imps off the ship and transfer drive control to the Engine room. Sabre, are you in position?"

"_I'm standing in front of the door now, Chief,_" Jaina reported.

"Clear to activate intruder control in engineering," Chief informed Ed.

On the bridge, Ed nodded to Tex, who flipped a switch on a control board that released a gas in the Engine Room.

"_Gas is released_," Ed informed Jaina and her men. "_Should be clear in two minutes, Jaina_."

"_Thanks_," Jaina acknowledged.

"We're on our way there," Chief informed her.

He then took a moment to look around the Hanger bay. It was still under construction, and only one rack of TIE fighters was in place. Actually, this was only an auxiliary hanger, built faster than the primary hanger in order to accommodate both visiting officers on inspection and construction craft. Though this hanger was still as large as one found in an _Imperial II_ class Destroyer, the main hanger was significantly larger, able to accommodate an entire _Imp II_ with ease, and would, when completed, be able to hold a planet's worth of fighters. That hanger would not be completed for some time.

Chief continued to look around, and that was when he noticed a light blinking on a console on the deck beneath him.

"Hawkeye, come with me, I want to check something out down there," He ordered. "Gunny, go cover the exit- I know the troops are supposed to be gone, but I don't want to take any chances."

That said, he activated his jetpack and leaped first upwards and outwards and then downwards, followed by the Klingon MACO.

As he hit the floor, he crouched to absorb impact, and then turned to face the still blinking console. Before he could check it out, though, he was interrupted by Ed on the bridge.

"_We got trouble, Alpha's_," Ed said darkly. "_We've just received a transmission from an Imp shuttle. They're asking permission to board, and they say they're carrying the new commander- Lord Caedus._"

Chief heard a gasp from Jaina and a low growl from Hawkeye.

"_Osik,_" Chief muttered under his breath. "Alright, don't reply, just acknowledge it as signal received and stored, like an automated system received it."

_"They're already maneuvering to enter the Hanger,_" Ed reported. "_If you guys are still down there, you'd better get your rears outta there right now!_"

"Too late!" Hawkeye shouted as the Hanger's forcefield came online and the durasteel doors receded into the hull. Chief's fears were confirmed: the blinking light indicated that the hanger was set to automatic, and that a transmission from any craft with a proper clearance code would automatically activate them.

As the forcefield engaged, Chief spotted the incoming Imperial Shuttle. It was an enhanced _Lambda_ class shuttle, featuring multiple Borg subsystems and armored hull plating, in addition to its advanced shields. Chief continued to watch as it positioned itself to enter the bay.

"Hawkeye, you still got that hull-buster missile in your pack?" Chief asked.

"Yes I do," Hawkeye replied, "but it will not destroy the ship with all that extra armor."

"Get it ready anyhow," he ordered. "We'll wait till the hatch opens, then we'll shoot it right up their noses."

Hawkeye complied, pulling his pack off and unloading the parts to what was clearly a compact launcher. As the shuttle passed through the hull, Hawkeye readied the weapon, lifting it to his shoulder.

By now, the shuttle had come through, it's wings folded inward and it's landing gear in contact with the deck. As it's hatch began to open, Hawkeye pointed the laser sight right into the crack, awaiting a hole large enough to pass through.

Instead, though, Hawkeye was surprised as the missile launcher was pulled out of his hands by an unseen force. Simultaneously, Hawkeye felt a hand grip his throat, and then he was thrown across the room in the opposite direction as the launcher.

"Gunny, this is Chief! Get out of here now!" he shouted.

Gunny, up on the catwalk, immediately complied, opening the door and running into the corridor.

Chief continued to watch from his position behind some construction equipment. The hatch opened all the way, and out of it stepped a man wearing jet-black Alliance armor, with a dark hooded robe covering his body. This was the Sith Apprentice Darth Caedus. His hair was dark brown, and covered his ears. His mouth was drawn downward in a perpetual scowl. It was his eyes, though, that drew the most attention. They were _glowing_. Not only that, but they were _gold_. Chief pulled his gaze away from the Sith's eyes, which was when he noticed something. In his face, there was something familiar…something resembling someone he knew, who he fought with every day. And suddenly, he understood. This explained, finally, why Jaina had joined the MACOs- in case they encountered the Sith Darth Caedus, who was, in reality, Jacen Solo!

Caedus approached Hawkeye, who was crumpled up on the deck. He glared down at the Klingon, then, with a vicious smirk, kicked him in the gut.

"Look at you," Caedus spat, "a true warrior!"

Kor did not respond with words. Instead, he slowly and painfully stood up to face the Sith Lord.

"_Dar-Jetti_ _P'tahk_!" he spat as he drew his D'Ktag dagger. "I am Kor, son of Kless, whom you killed dishonorably at Khitomer!"

"Ah! So the Commander of that little knat was your father! How interesting."

Hawkeye growled and struck so swiftly that Chief didn't even see him move. Unfortunately, though, Caedus was faster. As the blade thrusted forward, tearing Caedus' robe where his heart had been only a millisecond before, Caedus drew his own lightsabre, and ran it through Hawkeye's chest.

"It is a good day…to die," were Hawkeye's last words. Caedus merely looked at the corpse without expression. A small voice inside him cried out at the horror, but he ignored it.

He turned to his guards, two DTDs and four Dark Troopers as well as Captain Orello; the Intelligence Officer Muertos had assigned to attend him.

"He cannot be the only one here," he said. "Find them, and kill"- he stopped as he sensed something in the force, someone who was trying to find him. He grinned as he realized who it was. "Among them is a woman, a Jedi. Leave her to me. Kill the rest."

"Yes my Lord," the Troopers acknowledged. They raised their weapons and headed towards the door. Chief crouched lower as they approached him, hoping they would not notice him. They did not. The Dark Troopers walked right by him, and out the door to the Hanger into the corridor outside the Hanger, the one right below where Jaina and the rest of Alpha squad were.

8888888888888888888

In the Engine room, Jaina stood near the door, still stunned at the presence of her brother. She and the others had heard every word spoken by Caedus, and they all must have realized that the Sith had been referring to her- including Ed.

"_Jaina, get out of there now_!" Ed exclaimed from the Bridge.

"He's right lass," Scotty said from the console he was working at. "We don't need ye here, and those Drones'll be able to track you with the Force, if I understand the principles correctly. If ye stay here you endanger the mission."

Jaina thought about it for a moment, realizing Scotty was correct. As for Trapper, he too was stunned, though for him it was at the death of Hawkeye that shocked him. But even he nodded in agreement at Jaina.

"Alright," Jaina finally agreed, I'll do it."

888888888888888888888

"Soran, stay here and lock down the Bridge," Ed ordered as he grabbed his gear. "We can't have the Imps taking away our new toy after we just took it away from them. Tex, you're with me."

"Aye aye Mister Captain Boss sir," Tex said as he grabbed his own gear. "Let's go rescue another Damsel in distress!"

"Who you callin' a damsel in distress?" Ed replied with a grin. "If I know Jaina, she'll have 'em all beat by the time we get there!"


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: well, here it is: the big climax. I warn you- it's not gonna be pretty. Unfortunately this isn't my best work yet, but it's pretty good i think. Please let me know what you think. And now, here's chapter 13.**

Chapter 13

Jaina drew her lightsabre as she sensed a dark, single-minded presence around the corner. It had the distinctive feel of a Dark Trooper Drone. Unlike the standard Drones, these DTDs were part of a separate collective, one controlled exclusively by Darth Muertos through one of the other FiveSith, Starkiller, who was himself now 85% cybernetic, and thus better equipped to control the collective. It was a small collective; there were only about a thousand total Dark Drones, as opposed to the trillions of Borg in the two galaxies. The percentage of force sensitive's available in the entire Echo galaxy was only a very small portion of the known galaxy, so the Borg could only create so many Drones. Added to this difficulty was the fact that even the weakest of Jedi, those trained at the Academy at any rate, could resist assimilation. So it was that Jaina could easily distinguish the DTDs from ordinary Borg, and especially ordinary humans.

Jaina activated her sabre at the same time as the first DTD rounded the corner and cut him down in an instant. The second Drone she dispatched as easily as it tried to activate it's own built in sabre. As the second drone fell, a standard human Dark Trooper that had stood behind it rose his blaster quickly. He even got off a shot. It was not enough, though. Jaina brought her lightsabre up and easily deflected the bolt right back at the trooper. It struck his neck even as he prepared to fire once more. The Trooper dropped, killed by his own shot. Jaina kept her blade up, wary of any more troopers behind these three, but her force senses confirmed what her eyes told her. The remaining two DTDs had remained with Caedus, and the other Darks were investigating other areas. Only these three had been assigned to check the Engine Room.

"_Jaina! Help me!_" came the voice of Chief over her helmet comm.

"Chief!" she exclaimed. "I'm coming!"

Without thinking, she ran towards the Hanger.

8888888888888888

As Jaina waited for the three Imperials to round the corner, Chief remained hidden behind the crates. But of course, that didn't last. He suddenly felt an invisible hand grip his throat and he was lifted off the deck.

"You didn't think you could hide from me, did you Starfleeter?" Caedus said sadistically as Chief levitated over to him, controlled by Caedus' telekinesis through the force.

"Are you going to kill me like you killed Hawkeye?" Chief asked with difficulty, as Caedus still had a telekinetic choke hold on him.

"No," Caedus replied sadistically. "I have a better idea."

Chief stiffened as he felt Caedus invade his mind…

8888888888888

Jaina ran towards the Hanger, but stopped as Ed and Tex intercepted her.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Ed said as she stopped.

"Chief needs my help!" she replied.

"Well, wait for us!" Tex demanded. "We want a taste a' those Imps too!"

"You don't understand!" she said. "I have to face him alone!"

"Why?" Ed demanded angrily. "Just 'cuz you're a Jedi doesn't mean you're the only one who can fight a Sith! Or at least not without help!"

"That's not why I need to face him alone," she said sadly, looking down.

"Then why?" Ed demanded once more.

"He- he's my brother," she answered silently.

"Y- your brother?" Ed stammered. "That's not possible! Captain Solo is-"

"Not Anakin," Jaina corrected.

"Well who else?" Ed said more gently. "Not Colonel Solo, he's dead."

Jaina was silent.

"He's _not_ dead?" Ed realized. "But the Guard Destroyer was lost with all hands except Captain Shevu and Lieutenant Skywalker! I saw it on the news!"

"What you saw was a coverup," Jaina explained. Tex remained silent, letting Ed and her work it out. "Command didn't want the public to know what really happened to the GAG. My brother turned to the Dark Side, and convinced most of the rest of the crew to defect with him to the Empire. Those who didn't agree he killed. Ben Skywalker only escaped because Shevu convinced him not to follow his cousin. They escaped just before the Destroyer lept out of the System on Ben's StealthX fighter."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Ed said silently. "But that doesn't mean you can just face him unprepared like this!"

"Don't you get it Ed?" she snapped at him. "I _am_ prepared! Why do you think I transferred from Starfighter Command to the MACOs? I needed to know how to fight a forceuser like a Mandalorian, and the Sargeant is one of the few who could do that!"

"I understand," Ed acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean you can't use a little back-up. Besides, I'm wondering why Chief called for you specifically."

Jaina thought about that a moment, realizing what he meant.

"But why would the Chief try to trap me?" she asked, but then answered her own question. "Because Caedus has control over his mind!"

"Right!" Ed exclaimed. And that's why we have to go in there fully prepared for the trap that's sure to be waiting for you!"

"Okay," Jaina finally conceded. "But you guys better follow me in all the same!"

"Right behind 'ya sis!" Tex exclaimed as he raised his rifle to his shoulder. "Saddle up, lock and load!"

88888888888888888888

The Hanger door opened to a stun bolt fired by a DTD who had been waiting. It went past Jaina and the others, as they stood next to the door, not in front of it. Jaina reached around the corner with the force and shoved the Drone aside.

"Now!" she shouted to Ed and Tex. The two MACOs burst around the corner, firing their rifles in all directions. Their random shots hit the first Drone, killing him, and grazed the second. Unfortunately, the next shot to hit the Drone was absorbed.

"They've adapted!" Ed yelled out.

Jaina ran in the room, and hurled her purple lightsabre directly into the Drone. It fell to the ground, dead. The room now appeared empty, Caedus having boarded his shuttle.

They heard a moan from behind a console. Jaina ran towards it. Laying there on the other side was the Chief.

"He was…too strong," he said weakly. Ed ran a tricorder over him, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry Jaina; he was just… too strong. Tell my family…I love them. Tell them I'm sorry I left."

With that, Chief died.

"What killed him?" Jaina asked sadly.

"Tricorder says massive brain damage," Ed answered.

"It's time for Caedus to die," she said solemnly, "before he kills someone else."

"It's too late for that, my dear _sister_!" said Darth Caedus sadistically as he ran Tex through from behind with his red lightsabre.

"Aw, crap," Tex said as he fell.

"No!" Ed screamed as his best friend fell to the ground. He started to charge Caedus, but Jaina held him back. "Let me go!"

"He's too powerful for you!" Jaina insisted as the Hanger door opened and two Dark Troopers stepped in. "Cover me!"

Ed turned, influenced slightly by the force as well as his own protectiveness of Jaina. He temporarily forgot about Caedus and turned his fury towards the Troopers. Ed charged them, firing his blaster. They dove for cover.

Meanwhile, Jaina drew her lightsabre. Caedus gave her a feral grin and raised his sword in a mock salute.

Jaina didn't hesitate. She lunged at him and struck like lightning. Caedus' grin vaporized as he raised his own lightsabre to block her attack, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.

"You seem to have improved since the last time we sparred," he observed.

"Or you've gotten worse," Jaina responded, striking at him once more with seeming ferocity. Anyone watching would have assumed she was fighting with rage and hatred toward her brother. The truth was, though, that she was not angry at all. In fact, the only emotion she felt as she fought her brother was sadness. She fought with the ferocity of a Mandalorian. She had learned this style of fighting with Fi Skirata. It entailed shutting out all thought, even more so than with a typical Jedi fight, and just letting your well trained instincts take over.

Jaina hurled blow after blow at him, but he managed to block each one. As she had been trained, though, she did not give him any opportunity to go on the offensive. Finally, she backed him into a wall, and he desperately reached out with the force, pushing her back only a little. But it was enough.

Caedus dodged past his sister, and leapt the distance between Jaina and his shuttle. He slammed his hand onto the emergency hatch close button, and commanded the pilot to launch immediately. The shuttle lifted and departed the hanger, leaving behind an exhausted Jaina as well as Ed, who had already killed one Trooper and wounded the other. The last Trooper dropped his rifle, stood, and put his hands above his head in surrender.

Ed kept his blaster trained on the Trooper, and nearly pulled the trigger.

"Stop!" Jaina shouted. "There's been enough killing today."

Ed slowly lowered his blaster.

**I hope you liked it, i know it's kind of sad, and i hated to kill of Chief and Tex, but it had to be done for the sake of...THE SEQUEL! There will be one, just so you know. Another chapter or two is coming, to wrap it up. But i'm just about done. As always, i appreciate and welcome feedback and criticism- tell me what you think!**


	15. Chapter 14

**AN: Well, here it is, the final chapter of book one. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

Jaina, the captured Trooper, and Ed stepped into the Engine Room, but stopped as they stared down the barrel of a rifle.

"Hold your fire Gunny, it's me!" Jaina said.

"Jaina!" he exclaimed as her words registered. "You're alive!"

"Yes, just barely," she said sadly.

"Who's this?" he asked suddenly, looking suspiciously at the Imperial that Ed held at gunpoint.

"He's a POW," Ed replied gruffly, still angered and shocked at the death of Tex.

"Where's the Chief?" Trapper asked from where he sat next to Scotty, who was still working on the Engines.

"He didn't make it," Jaina replied solemnly.

"_Bridge to Major Carroll_," came Soran's voice over the intercom.

Ed grabbed a communicator from his pocket, having left his helmet on the bridge.

"Carroll here, go ahead," he replied.

"_All Imperials have been subdued_," the Vulcan informed him. "_The Fleet has contacted us. They say they're under heavy attack and can't hold out much longer._"

"Are we ready to go yet Mister Scott?" Ed asked, taking command of the group as the surviving senior officer.

"Aye, as ready as we're going to get without a full overhaul at a Spacedock," Scotty answered.

"What about weapons?" Jaina asked.

"We have maybe a third of them working on automatic right now, and even that gives us the firepower of a fully operational _ImpStar Deuce_," Gunny answered.

"Well then, let's go!" Ed ordered. "Clear all moorings, or just rip 'em out. As Tex would say, let's give 'em what fer!"

Soran on the bridge nodded at the injured MACO handling the helm. The makeshift helmsman pressed a button on his console as Scotty transferred engine control to the bridge. The drive system of the Destroyer came to life for the first time ever. Scotty stood and crossed his arms, a broad grin adorning his face as his hard work paid off.

"Ach, she's a beauty!" Scotty exclaimed.

The massive Destroyer surged ahead as her powerful sublight engines propelled it through space. The Ultra Star Destroyer cleared the dock, leaving the place it had been constructed in the hands of those it had been built to kill. The Destroyer continued moving forward, blasting through the asteroid field like so much gravel in the way of a bulldozer.

As it left the asteroid field, they were followed by the now decloaked _Empress Ael_, shields at full and ready to join the battle.

88888888888888888888

"We'll have these foolish rebels defeated within the hour," Captain Rolard of the ISD _Skull Collector_ said confidently.

"Captain!" a sensor officer interrupted frantically. "A massive shape has just appeared on our screens, coming out of the asteroid field!"

"Ah, that will be Lord Caedus aboard our newest glory," he said with a grin.

"But sir!" the sensor officer interrupted once more. "They're firing on the flagship!"

"What!" Rolard exclaimed, and his grin disappeared, replaced by a look of pure terror that was shared by everyone on the bridge.

888888888888888888888888

Across the system, battles stopped, the Imperial gunners shocked into immobility. The Destroyer advanced, plowing through the Imperial line like butter. Where it passed Allied ships, they disengaged and moved to follow the Destroyer. Finally, one of the Imperials ordered a retreat, and the others were so stunned at the loss of their prize to do anything but. There were no last minute skirmishes, and the Imperials didn't even stop to pick up fighters that were not hyperdrive equipped. They simply laid in an escape course, and implemented it. Last to leave was the Super Star Destroyer, showing heavy damage. It had stopped only to pick up Lord Caedus' shuttle. As the Sith's ship left, a certain attaché breathed a silent sigh of relief that the plan had succeeded, albeit with more difficulty than expected.

Only a few moments after the departure or surrender of the last of the Imperial fighters, the _Enterprise_ and _Titan_ battle groups arrived…just in time to be part of the mop up. It had been a fierce, if short, battle. And it had been costly for both sides, though far more so for the Empire than the Allies. But it was a clear-cut victory. The Empire had suffered a huge blow.

But amidst the many celebrations, there were also funerals. And there was one more solemn than others.

8888888888888888888888888

In the Hanger Bay of the Ultra Star Destroyer, a funeral was being held for the four MACOs who had been killed in the capture. The Hanger bay was no longer empty, having taken on captured TIEs, and the ship now had a skeleton crew. But it was empty enough to comfortably hold them all. Attending were not only the MACOs, but also the Commanders of the mission. Admiral Solo and Colonel O'Riley presided, and also present were Nahrahl and Donatra of the _Empress Ael_. Captain Scott stood in the back of the room in an old style dress uniform, complete with a Scottish kilt and bagpipes.

Admiral Solo approached the pedestal in front of the room. In the front row sat the MACOs, as well as their sergeants. Jag Fel's arm was in a sling, having been injured during the battle when his fighter was hit.

"We're all here today to honor four brave officers, without whom this whole mission would have been a complete failure," Solo began. "Major George "Chief Runningbear of Apache. "Hawkeye" Kor, son of Kless, of Quo'nos. Jon Ton of Naboo. Lieutenant "Tex" Ridder. These four were some of the bravest I've ever known, and they gave their lives so that others might live. We salute them now, as we commit their bodies to space. "

The bodies of the four, lying in coffins with the Alliance insignia inscribed on the lid, were rolled forward on skids. Scotty played his bagpipes as the four coffins passed through the barrier with a burst of speed and floated off, caught by the gravity of the planet Bespin, which the fleet had retreated to and captured using the new Destroyer. The attendees continued to watch, until there were four flashes as the coffins burned up on re-entry.

As the funeral broke up, Han and Colonel O'Riley approached the survivors of the two squadrons.

"I know this won't help much," Han began, "but we've received authorization to inform you that you're all being promoted. Major Carroll, you are receiving a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, and you're being reassigned to command Shark squadron."

This brought an exclamation of surprise from everyone. Shark squad had been the first MACO SpecOps squad, and most of it had perished heroically on a recent mission.

"Jaina," Han continued, "you are also being promoted to Major and being reassigned as Colonel Carroll's Exec. Mister Soran will transfer with you, but Mister Roland will return to base to serve as Sargeant to a batch of new cadets until his leg heals. As for Alpha squad, Mister Skirata, Tom, that is, is being promoted to Major and will be Alpha's leader, with Lieutenant Sken as his exec. All other positions will be filled later."

"What about Beta Squad, sir?" Ed asked.

"A new Beta Squad will be trained by Sergeant Skirata back at base," O'Riley explained. "Commander Fell has been recalled to Chiss to aid in their homeworld defense."

"You're also all receiving a new mission. The planet Alto Five, better known as "Apache," has come under heavy assault by the Empire. The planet is of little strategic importance, but we are obliged to assist them. You might also be interested to know that Apache was Major Runningbear's home planet. You will be briefed on the particulars after you rendezvous with your new team members en route. There's also on more thing. Colonel Carroll, Major Solo, and Captain Scott are to receive the Alliance Eagle in a special ceremony en route to Apache. I would say congratulations, but in light of what brought this on and what we're here for, I'll just say good luck, and may the force be with you."

**Okay, not the best conclusion, but it does lead into the next book, which i've already started. The prologue and characters in the next book will be up soon after i post this. Also, i hated to kill off so many characters, but it was necessary. I hope you enjoyed this book, and i hope you check out my second one. Thanks to Master of the Boot for sticking with me for so long.**


End file.
